The Best She Can Be
by RoguesKnight
Summary: Set immediately after Bad as She Wants Me to Be, follows Kim's path as she tries to navigate a world without Ron. More of a spin-off than direct sequel. Rated T/M to be safe. Language, action. No sex, though that is now subject to change. Chap 4 Up. FINALLY
1. Chapter 1

The Best She Can Be

Author: Roguesknight

Chapter 1: Family, Foe, Future

Rating: T/M. Language perhaps. Violence? Most definitely. No sex or nudity in this one.

Author's note: Not quite a sequel to Bad As She Wants Me to Be, more of a spin-off. A brief interlude, if you will, to get the characters where I need them to be for the sequel I have in mind. As such, this one will focus more so on Kim. Bear with me…I think I know what I'm doing.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible, et al belong to Disney , S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury and one or two guest stars…also belong to Disney. Still haven't quite gotten used to that fact.. Also, I have no claim to any colleges mentioned. There…that should cover me.

The months following Ron and Shego's funeral seemed to do the impossible; to Kim they both flew by and crept glacially slowly, and before she knew it, she found herself a high school graduate. That early June evening found her as many a Saturday evening had over the past three months, in Middleton Memorial Cemetery visiting her oldest friend. " Hey Ron," she smiled sadly, " I thought you might want to see me in the whole cap and gown thing. So, here I am." She did a small twirl in front of the bright blue flame, careful to make sure she had enough clearance that she wouldn't catch on fire herself. Though she had long since gotten over her initial trepidation about talking to Ron's grave, she couldn't keep a faint blush from spreading across her cheeks as she caught sight of Shego's green flame as she completed her spin. * I almost expect her to show up to tease me about being a Princess * She thought * Well, so what, sometimes it's ok to be a Princess.* She fought off the irrational urge to stick her tongue out petulantly at the flickering green light. She came to a stop and pulled the cap from her head, playing nervously with the tassel. " Not bad, huh? And hey, it's long enough that even if you'd lost your pants no one would have known." She sat down with a sigh on the ground in front of the fire, "I know…I know…the whole expulsion thing would have put a kibosh on that, but I wish you could have been there today. I missed you."

A light breeze swept through the graveyard, teasing her hair about her face and she smiled, pushing the loose strands back behind her ear, allowing herself to believe for a moment that he had heard her. " Anyway," she continued, blinking rapidly to keep her tears at bay, " this is supposed to be a happy day, so I won't sit here and bring you down. I mean you're looking at an eternity with Shego, I can't imagine a worse hell than that." She chuckled softly and held up a hand towards the twin flames as if to ward off the sharp retorts she could imagine coming from both her friend and former nemesis, " Ok, ok that was bad, I'm sorry. But you know I spent the majority of my life dealing with your bad jokes and puns, they were bound to rub off on me at some point. I guess I'm a little nervous." She paused and looked up at the monument, " You see, I still haven't heard back from Empire State University. I've already gotten offers from University of Colorado , which as you know was my safety school, and Harvard is practically begging me to attend; I just figure that it would be easier for me to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. from New York City. I know that I could work with them from just about anywhere in the world, but somehow New York just feels right you know?" She sighed deeply, " I want to thank you Ron. You gave me this great gift that is going to let me do what I really love doing, and I don't mean the money; you were always there for me, supporting me and helping me to believe in myself. I just wish that you were here so I could be here to repay you by supporting you when you need it. Unfortunately, we both know that wishes don't always come true, so I'm going to pay it forward here and do what I can to help other people the way you helped me." She smiled and brushed away a tear that had broken free from an emerald eye, " Now, if you could just give me some idea of how to break it to my parents that I want to move across the country and continue putting my life in danger while trying to do the college student thing at the same time?" There was no answer, not even the stirring of the breeze.

Kim laughed, surprising herself, " Fine. Be that way. You're just lucky Dad can't threaten you with a deep space probe anymore Mr. Stoppable," she stood and brushed her gown off, " Speaking of which, I should get going. There's this whole "surprise" congratulations party going on at home at seven and Nana Possible's even coming in from Florida. If I'm late without an end of the world reason, I'll be taking your spot on that probe." She turned and took a few steps away, looking back over her shoulder with a small smile, " And Shego, take care of him for me, wherever you are. I know we weren't the best of friends…ok…so we were bitter enemies, but I miss you too."

Starting forward, lost in thoughts of just how she would manage to convince her parents, mainly her father, that their little girl wanting to move across the country on her own was really a positive thing, she didn't notice the two young women coming from the opposite direction until it was too late to avoid a collision. As she stumbled back to her feet, she heard a voice that she'd have never thought she'd hear anywhere near Ron and Shego's memorial.

" Gee, I guess we know who Middleton's newest klutz is," Bonnie sneered, glaring down at her flame haired rival, " Of course, she's got some pretty big clown shoes to fill, wouldn't you say?" She turned to smirk at her companion, daring her to disagree.

" Be nice for once in your life Bonnie," Tara snapped, shocking the brunette with the outburst, " We're not in high school anymore," she reached out an arm to steady Kim with a small smile, " Hey Kim. Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you."

Kim found herself smiling in return, " It's no big Tara. I was the one who wasn't paying attention to where she was going, I should be the one apologizing to you." A haughty clearing of the throat forced her to grit her teeth, " to both of you really." She fought the urge to provide the smugly smirking brunette with a demonstration of each of the sixteen different styles of kung fu she was versed in. * Deep breath…in…out…It's got to be all kinds of wrongsick to fight someone in a cemetery, even if it is Bonnie….and there are plenty of graves, maybe even an open one where I could dump her…* Clamping down on that particular train of thought, she turned her attention to the normally quiet blonde, " I have to admit though, I wouldn't have expected to see anyone else here tonight. Shouldn't you be off to a graduation party or something?"

Tara smiled, her cheeks coloring faintly, " Later," she responded before Bonnie could open her mouth again, " But first I wanted to come to say goodbye…to Ron."

Even in the fading light Kim could see the blush spread further across the pale blonde, " , "Goodbye?" she asked.

Tara nodded, " Yea…my parents decided to surprise me with a summer in Europe as a graduation present. Our flight leaves tomorrow morning and we won't be getting back until about a week before I have to hop another plane to Florida. I got accepted to the University of Miami." She paused and glanced over Kim's shoulder to the memorial, " So, I thought I'd say goodbye now, in case there isn't time when I get back." She shrugged, " It seems silly, I know."

Kim smiled, " Not at all, Tara." She stepped forward and enveloped the blonde in a warm hug, " I'll just leave you to it then. I really should get going anyway. Have fun in Europe; I'm glad I got to see you before you left. "

" I'm glad I got to see you too Kim," Tara replied, hugging back briefly, " I have to admit I was surprised to run into you here, well, literally." They shared a brief laugh before Kim slipped between Tara and Bonnie, only to be stopped short by a derisive snort.

" Like there's anywhere else there she would have been," Bonnie sneered. " Come on Tara, you know she spends all her free time with her dead boyfriend." She turned towards Kim's back, as feral smile stretched across her face, " Oh…I'm sorry, he wasn't your boyfriend, was he? He chose to be with your mortal enemy over you. Gee, how does it feel to know that even the froob didn't want you? Though it does kind of explain why you went to prom stag."

" Bonnie," Tara hissed, " You're my best friend, but if you don't take that back right now, I'll hold you down for Kim to beat you. Let this whole rivalry with her go. Hell, coming here tonight was…"

" It's alright Tara," Kim said evenly, her hands curling into fists and uncurling again at her sides as she fought to keep herself under control, " I learned a long time ago how to deal with Bonnie." She smiled coldly and turned to face her long-time rival " Bonnie," she started, " First, I'm not going to ask for an apology, because we both know that. " She paused, letting her breath out in a long slow exhalation and forcing her hands to uncurl, " As for who Ron fell in love with? I don't have any control over that. Would I have liked it to be me? Maybe; then again, who's to say we wouldn't have had a nasty break up down the road that ruined our friendship as well? Not that you know what it means to be just friends with a guy." She paused, favoring the brunette with a smile that eerily mirrored Bonnie's own, " I'm sure you're going to get some practice though, seeing as I hear Josh dropped you the second daddy went from wearing a judge's robes to wearing a prison jumpsuit. In fact, I have it on good authority the only reason he went to prom with you is that you paid him." The shocked look told Kim that she'd scored with the comment. " Don't worry though, I'm sure guys will be paying to spend time to go on "dates" with you before you know it." She settled for a triumphant smirk and turned to exit the cemetery; waiting until she was well out of Tara and Bonnie's sight before collapsing onto a nearby bench and fighting to collect hersef. * I don't know how she manages to just be so evil all the time * Kim thought, blowing out a long slow breath * I mean capital "E" evil. Even Shego would have had some respect for the dead.* Catching sight of her watch, she pushed herself to her feet and began to walk swiftly towards the exit * And if the dead can respect the dead, I might still be able to gain that respect if I don't get home.*

Tara stared off in the direction that Kim had hurried before whirling to face Bonnie, glaring, " Ok, Kim may not have kicked your ass, but I'm still kind of thinking about it. So, you have until the count of ten to convince me why I shouldn't. Oh, and if I make it to ten and you haven't convinced me not to kick your ass, you can consider our friendship over. I've dealt with a lot of your crap over the years, because I believed that behind the Queen B persona was a good person; hell, coming here tonight before your party was your idea and I thought, hey, high school's over and now the world can get to know the good Bonnie that I know. What, was it just some scheme to get in another dig at Kim?" She folded her arms over her chest and fixed her gaze on the surprisingly nervous looking brunette. " One….two…."

Bonnie blinked * I never knew she had it in her* she thought, then realizing her oldest friend hadn't stopped counting, and seemed quite intent on following through on her promise, Bonnie adopted the most contrite expression she could manage, " I'm sorry ok?" she near screamed, throwing her hands in the air, " Look, I knew coming down here was important to you and I wanted to be there for my best friend; you're the only one who stuck by me even after everything that happened. You even stuck up for me after Josh left me." She paused, sighing, " I know I shouldn't have gone as far as I did with Kim…it's just…everyone talks about how great she is, and I know I wasn't ever that good to her in high school." She pretended not to notice Tara's expressive eye roll, " I just thought she'd maybe make an effort to get to know me once I wasn't Queen B anymore. I mean, there are two people on this planet who know what I had to put up with at home from my sisters: you, and Kim. But no, I guess I just wasn't pathetic enough to warrant notice from Kim Possible." She dropped her head, letting her bangs hide her face as she continued, " You know why I didn't go to Stoppable…I mean Ron's funeral? I didn't want her to make the whole thing about us and our problems." She looked up timidly, " And then I saw her here tonight and it all came flooding back. I know I was out of line Tara, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry." She offered a fragile smile, " So, have I avoided an ass kicking from my best friend?"

Tara smiled brightly, tears shining in her azure eyes as she stepped forward to wrap Bonnie in a tight hug, " Of course. See, that's the good person I was talking about." She stepped back and let go of her friend, " I'll try to make it quick, then we can party . Sound good?" Without waiting for a response, she headed for Ron and Shego's memorial, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," Bonnie said with as hesitant smile, " Do you mind if I say something first?" She inclined her head towards the eternal flames, " I think I should at least apologize to him too. Unlike Kim, he was never anything but nice to me, no matter how many times I called him a loser, he never bothered to retaliate." She shrugged, " I know it's not much, but it's the least I can do for him now." Receiving an encouraging smile and brief nod from the blonde, Bonnie made her way down the path to stand before Ron's flame. * OK * she thought, a smirk playing across her lips * There's definitely some truth to the blonde jokes. I can't believe she believed that spiel.* She disguised a laugh as a sob, thankful that Tara could only see her from behind.

Straightening, she pretended to wipe tears from her eyes, " Ok Stoppable," she sneered, " I hope you're happy. My life, the food chain, my relationship with Josh, all of that's gone. And it's all your fault. If you hadn't done all your thinking with your very little head, or at least had the decency to keep that freak you and Kim were always fighting as a one night stand, then nothing would have happened." She paused, " So, as cliché as it is, I swear that I'm going to do whatever I can, no matter what I have to do, or how long it takes, to make your life a living hell. Oh, I know you're still alive somewhere; you know how I know? You're just too damn lucky to have something as mundane as an exploding fortress kill you; hell from what I heard about you and Kim's little missions, you spent most of your time blowing up lairs, you're a fucking idiot savant when it comes to that sort of thing. Then there's the fact that I'm just not lucky enough that you'd actually have gotten what you deserve. So, enjoy your little retirement, vacation, whatever you want to call it, because I will find you and then you'll find out why it's a mistake to mess with me." Schooling her features into an appropriately mournful expression, she made her way back to Tara.

" He's all yours," She said, sniffling slightly, " and Tara, thank you for always being there for me. I don't know what I'd do without a friend like you."

Kim swore silently to herself as she raced along the darkening Middleton streets, doing her stealthy best not to be noticed. *Ok…it's five til seven, I can still make it. Besides, it's not like I'm supposed to even _know_ about the party. I can't be blamed for being late if I didn't know I was supposed to be somewhere, can I?* It was sound logic, as far as she was concerned anyway, whether or not her parents would buy it was another story. She darted across the street, catching sight of her house in the distance * Damn hill, of course we have to live up a hill..still I should be able to make it…I just have to hope that no one I know…* There was a honk from the road behind her and instinctively she turned to look * spots me* she finished the thought as the red station wagon pulled up along side her and the passenger side window rolled down.

" Kimmie-cub, need a lift?" James Possible called from the driver's seat, smiling warmly though his tone suggested it wasn't a question.

Her shoulders slumping, Kim made her way over to the car and climbed inside, " Thanks dad," she said with what she hoped was a convincing smile.

" No big," James replied, parroting his daughter's catchphrase, " I figured you'd have gone to visit with Ron, and it's getting late, so I thought I'd see if I could catch you on the way home. Shame I didn't find you before now." He paused, letting the car idle on the side of the road, making no move to head back to the house. " Oh, this came for you today." He reached into the pocket the side of the door and retrieved a rather hefty envelope bearing the crest of Empire State University.

" What's that?" Kim asked, doing her best to hide her excitement as she took the envelope. * It's from the admissions department* she thrilled silently * Please be an acceptance letter, please be an acceptance letter*. Carefully, she ran a manicured fingernail under the edge of the envelope, prying it open. * Dear Ms. Possible * she read quietly * We are pleased that you have selected Empire State University as the gateway to your future …* She looked up from the paper, meeting her father's eyes across the car.

James couldn't help but smile at his little girl's barely contained excitement, " Like there was any doubt that you'd get in? Congratulations sweetie." He paused, looking back towards the house. " Kim," he said seriously, " You know I love you. I just have to ask…this desire to go to school in New York, wouldn't have anything to do with those S.H.I.E.L.D folks would it?"

She cringed involuntarily * Damn, I should have known this was comming.* She eyed the door handle wistfully, weighing the pros and cons of bolting. While her father had always been supportive, he'd never been too keen on the risks she took, and she suspected he was waiting for her to grow out of it. " No, I just want to you know, stretch my wings and see what I can do, you know…anything's Possible for a Possible." She smiled weakly. Realizing that he wasn't buying it, she sighed. " Ok…maybe it does…a little." An uncomfortable silence settled in the car and she hurried to fill it, " Really, would it be so bad? I mean, I work with Global Justice every now and then and S.H.I.E.L.D isn't really that different, is it?"

James sighed and turned off the ignition, turning to face his daughter fully, " Actually yes, it is." He held up his hand to cut off the argument he saw in her eyes, " Kim, I love that you're so concerned about helping others, but S.H.I.E.L.D is a level you haven't had to deal with before. The most dangerous people you've had to deal with so far were Shego and Drew; I was comfortable with that because you more than proved you could handle the physical challenge of Shego, and well Drew wasn't that good in college…he went downhill from there." He took a deep breath. " I don't know if you've checked out the news reports that come out of New York Kimmie-cub, but I have, especially since you've shown an interest in going to school there. It seems like every other week there's an alien invasion, or some big green monster tearing through central park or some superhero battle. And you know who's usually right there? S.H.I.E.L.D; if not actively involved in actual combat, then trying to contain it." He sighed, running his hand through his hair, feeling old for the first time in his life, " I've seen photos of the aftermath, sometimes they're able to contain the destruction, but not always."

Kim bristled, " So, I'm good enough to beat up your washed up college roommate and that's it? Is that what you're saying dad?" She stared hard at him, not quite glaring, but coming closer than she ever had when it came to challenging her father.

He shook his head wearily, " Kimmie-cub, that's not it and you know it." He sighed heavily and favored her with a smile, " It's not you that I'm worried about at all. It's me." As her glare melted into confusion, he continued, " No parent should have to bury their child. I've already had to do it once, I don't want to do it again." He glanced through the windshield " I know Ronald wasn't mine by blood, or marriage like your mother used to think might have been the case some day, but he was close enough and it almost broke me. I don't want to lose you."

Kim blinked rapidly and leaned across the seat to hug her father, burying her face in his shoulder so he wouldn't see the tears welling in her eyes, " So, you're saying mom's the only one who thought I would marry Ron? " she tried for levity.

James smiled, " Kim, you're my only daughter. I didn't give much thought to you getting married at all, it meant I would have to share you, and lets face it there aren't many guys who deserve you. Ronald though, I'll admit, probably could have avoided a one way trip into deep space." He paused, regarding her quietly, " You're a grown woman now Kim, and I'll respect, love and support you no matter what. I just wish I had a clue as to why this thing with S.H.I.E.L.D is so important to you."

Kim sighed, " I'll tell you why. I'm not smart." Catching the disapproving frown flitting across her father's face, she hurried to continue," I'm not putting myself down. What I mean is I'm not a rocket scientist like you, or a neurosurgeon like mom, or even an everyday run of the mill genius like the tweebs…err…twins…" She smiled brightly, knowing he wasn't fond of her nickname for her brothers and hoping he'd overlook it, " What I'm great at however, is helping people. And working with S.H.I.E.L.D will let me do that on a scale that not even Global Justice can touch. I want to make a difference dad."

James nodded, touched by the sincerity in his daughter's voice, and turned the car back on. " Well…I expect at the very least to get some sort of Statue of Liberty souvenir when we help you move this summer." He smiled as the realization of what he was saying sunk in for the young redhead. " We should probably get back home, you know your mother doesn't like it when we're late for dinner."

Kim laughed, " Oh come on daddy, I know about the graduation party. You and mom were never that good at keeping secrets."

" Party? I didn't say anything about a party," he winked, " I'm just looking forward to your mother's cooking." Making sure the way was clear, he pulled from the side of the road and started back for their home, only half listening as Kim excitedly near babbled about everything she'd have to get done to get ready for college by the end of the summer. They pulled up the hill into the driveway a few moments later and he killed the engine. " Why don't you go ahead on inside Kimmie-cub," he said, " Not that there's anything going on. But I'll be right behind you." He watched as his daughter all but skipped from the car to the front door, clutching the acceptance letter to her chest with an unabashed smile on her face. His little girl was all grown up, and he wasn't quite sure he was ready for it.


	2. Chapter 2

The Best She Can Be

Author: Roguesknight

Chapter 2: Moving out, moving up.

Rating: T/M Lanuage, action.

Author's note: Dedicated to those of you who've kept with me throughout this whole insane process. As always, dedicated to my lovely wife.

For those looking for more Rongo goodness, please bear with me, as this Kim centric spin off will get the characters where I need them to be for the direct sequel to Bad as She Wants Me to Be and the return of my two favorite playmates. Trust that I shall endeavor not to let you down…and from your reviews so far, some of you, I suspect already have some inkling of where I plan to go…hopefully the details will still be a surprise. 

One last note: If marvel wants to play with reality, so can I. And I don't need Mephisto's help to do it.

Disclaimer: Still so very not mine. If either Marvel or Kim Possible belonged to me, well, ok yea, I'd probably still be writing fanfic…but I wouldn't have to take time away from writing for that whole "work" thing. Alas, they don't.

Kim slowly looked around her barren bedroom; amazed at how quickly the summer had flown by after graduation. What she wasn't taking with her to ESU had been lovingly packed away in the attic for safekeeping. " I still can't believe I let dad talk me into making this a road trip to college instead of just hopping a plane." She muttered to the mostly empty room. It was, she knew, probably the best way to keep the peace; while her father may have claimed to be ok with her moving across the country there had still been a certain tension building as the move in date approached. " Well," she sighed, " I guess I should get this over with before someone comes to get me." She pulled her kimmunicator from her pocket and flipped the small device on..

" Oh, hey Kim," Wade greeted as his image filled the screen, " What's the sitch?" He grinned, " Always wanted to beat you to that."

She smiled, " Funny, so very funny." At least this friend she would get to say goodbye to in person; so to speak, " It's time Wade."

" Time?" the teen genius queried, " According to the website, classes don't start on the Empire State main campus until next Monday, and they're not allowing check in in the dorms until this Friday at the earliest. You've got almost a week." He smiled sheepishly, " I've been keeping an eye on things, just in case they, you know, went to hell before you had to move out."

Kim chuckled, " I suppose that's reasonable; it wouldn't be the first time plans have been ruined at the last minute." She paused, " And I know I've got a few days, but dad wanted to make this a family bonding road trip." She shuddered, " Almost two thousand miles in the car with mom, dad and the tweebs. Joy." She shook her head ruefully, " No what I mean is it's time to take down the site."

Wade blanched, " Take down the site? But what about the people who need help? Where are they going to go?" He may not have gone any missions in person, but he'd never given much thought to what would happen when Kim and Ron would have to go to college.

Kim shrugged, " Maybe you could make a link directing them to get in touch with Global Justice or something? I know that it's not perfect, but I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D. would be ok with me doing any moonlighting while I'm training." She paused, " But hey, last I heard was that Will Do got put on a desk after that fiasco with Dementor." A shadow passed over her face and she shook it off as she continued, " Who knows, maybe with Mr. Top Agent, out of the field, someone who's actually competent can do some good."

Wade nodded sagely as someone of his still tender years could, " I guess you've got a point Kim. I just never thought I'd see this day, you know?"

She smiled, " I know. And just because I'm asking you to take down the site, doesn't mean that this is goodbye forever, I'll still be taking the Kimmunicator with me, so if you need to talk or if an emergency crops up, you know, family emergency, not save the world emergency, you can get ahold of me." She considered her next words carefully, " And who knows, maybe in a year or two, there might be a reason to reactivate the site if you're interested."

" OK Kim, not to cast aspersions on your skills, I don't think S.H.I.. training and college will only take you a couple of years to complete. You're good, but even you have limits." He gulped, hoping she wouldn't take offense at the comment.

Kim blinked, wondering just when he had grown up so much, the young man who'd run her site at the beginning wouldn't have dared to make that kind of comment, protected by the fact he wasn't in the same room as her or not; fortunately, she'd done some growing up of her own. " Not exactly what I was thinking." She glanced towards her bedroom door, knowing it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for her, " Ok, I never officially suggested this; but in about a year and a half, the tweebs will be same age I was when we started out. Who knows, maybe they can take up where I left off."

Wade sat in shock for a moment before executing a flurry of keystrokes, " Ok, just hold still while I run a scan. I just need to make sure you're not being mind controlled or something."

Kim laughed softly, " It's me Wade. I just think that they need something to do, since, you know….Ron." She hadn't mentioned it to her parents but ever since Ron's death but the twins had been a little off. They were more reserved and while they still got underfoot from time to time, they didn't seem to go out of their way to do it or take as much joy in it as they used to. " I just would rather see them uses their genius for good…let's face it, if they wanted to, they probably could pull off the whole world domination thing."

Wade grinned, " Ok, aren't you maybe, just maybe blowing things a little out of proportion?"

Kim shook her head, " Think about it Wade. Of all the people we've faced, who's really had a good reason for being evil? Most of them were just doing it for their ego, like Dementor" She spat the man's name like a vile curse; she couldn't believe that GJ still hadn't managed to catch up to him. " Or they were incompetent and didn't really have a shot in the first place, like Drakken. But Jim and Tim? Ron was like a big brother to them and I think they're taking it harder than they let on…and if Ron could almost do it when he was Zorpox? Yea…I really don't want to have to try and stop them if I can help it."

His grin faded as he thought about it, " Ok, so you have a point. I'll keep tabs on them, and when they're ready, I'll try and make it seem like it was my idea."

She smiled softly, " You rock Wade. I should probably get going before they come looking for me." On cue, there was a knock on her door, " Too late."

" Have fun Kim," Wade replied with an encouraging smile and brief wave before the screen winked back out.

She quickly stuffed the Kimmunicator back into her pocket as the knock was repeated and the door slowly opened, " Kim," Anne said softly as she entered the room, " You ready to go sweetie? You know that your dad's got a pretty tight itinerary planned so we can get some sight seeing in and still get you to New York in time to move in and hopefully get settled."

Kim nodded, forcing a cheerful smile firmly into place, " You know it. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't forgetting…. " her eyes darted around before finally settling on her unmade bed and the grappling hair dryer laying on top of it. * Huh * she mused * How did I not notice that?* Sure, S.H.I.E.L.D would likely provide her with equipment to use, but she suddenly couldn't bear the thought of leaving it behind. " this." She dashed forward and grabbed the dryer and stuffed it into her pocket alongside the kimmunicator. " There, all set. Shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, she headed for the door only to be stopped by her mother's hands on her shoulders.

" Is everything alright sweetheart?" Anne asked, studying the younger redhead closely. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something about her daughter seemed off lately. * Then again, after Ron…it's understandable.* She considered; still, she was a mother and if there was anything she could do to ease her daughter's pain, she'd do it.

" Fine Mom," Kim smiled, willing her to believe it, " Just really looking forward to the road trip. Four days in a car, can't wait." She tried once more to get past the older woman only to find herself pulled into a gentle, yet firm, hug.

" Ok, now I know you're lying," Anne chuckled, rubbing her daughter's back slowly, " So, what is it? I think we've got at least a couple minutes before your father or the boys come looking for us."

Kim sniffled softly, melting into her mother's embrace, " I guess it's all just finally sinking in you know? I thought I had all summer to get ready and now it's here and I don't know if I really am." She paused, " I really missed him today mom."

Anne nodded, " I know Kimmie, I know…I miss him too. I mean, now who knows how long it'll be before I'm a grandmother." She couldn't help but grin as the young woman practically flew back from her embrace.

"Mom!" She exclaimed, blushing.

The grin widened, " Sorry sweetie, but look at it this way, at least your father won't be worried that you were up here crying. You know how he is with emotions. Do you really want that extra tension in the car for four days?" She took her daughter's hand and headed out of the room, " Kim," she paused, " I know you'll probably be working with S.H.I.E.L.D and doing the college student thing at the same time. Do you really need to bring your grappling gun too? I know your father would say that anything's possible for a Possible, but I think trying to keep your site going on top of all that is a little too much."

Kim regarded her mother quietly for a moment, " Don't worry mom. I've already talked it over with Wade and we decided it's time for the site to go off line, at least for the foreseeable future. But it never hurts to be prepared, I mean it's New York." She paused briefly, " I know it's silly, but it's also something to remember all of this by." She grinned slyly, " But if you feel that strongly about it, I could always leave it here…where Jim and Tim could find it…and hey, I know just where I packed the laser lipstick too…I should probably leave that as well, huh?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Anne smiled, " Touché." Together they descended the stairs and out the front door, pausing just long enough for Anne to lock it behind them.

"There you are," Mr. Dr. Possible mock chided as he leaned against the car, " I thought maybe you two had gotten lost in there, another couple minutes and I was going to send the boys in to look for you." Ignoring the simultaneous eye roll he received in reply, he pulled open the driver's side door, " Let's get this show on the road."

Taking a deep breath, Kim walked over and climbed into the back seat with her brothers. " Well, here goes nothing," she muttered to herself, taking a longing last look through the rear window at the only place she'd known as home. Moments later, James slid behind the wheel and started the car up.

" Well," he began with the false cheer only a parent could manage, " Seeing as this is going to be Kimmie cub's last road trip with us for a while, I think we should give her a good old fashioned Possible family send off. What do you say boys?"

" Hicka-bicka-boo," Tim replied with an evil grin as he held up his fist.

" Hoosha," Jim finished, bumping his brothers fist. " Ready when you are dad."

Kim's eyes widened as the realization of what was about to happen sunk in. * Oh god no.* she thought desperately. Craning her neck, she caught her mother's sympathetic smile in side view mirror and knew her fate was sealed. * I'm being punished….I'm actually being punished for going to school….this is even beyond wrong-sick.* Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the seat and waited for the inevitable.

Backing out of the driveway, Mr. Possible began to sing, " One hundred bottles of pop on the wall, one hundred bottles of pop. Take one down, pass it around, ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall." The boys joined in on the next verse as the car slowly pulled away from the Possible residence.

Four days, almost two thousand miles, and what seemed like a lifetime later, they pulled up to a nondescript skyscraper in the heart of New York City, only a couple blocks away from the main campus of Empire State University. Miraculously, they managed to find a spot right out front along the street. " Are you sure this is the right place Kimmie-cub?" James asked as he maneuvered into the spot between a taxi and a pizza delivery car.

Looking up at the building, Kim decided that she had never seen anything more beautiful, " Positive," she replied, practically vibrating with the desire to get out of the car and start her life as a college student. * If I even see another bottle of soda again, it'll be too damn soon * she groused. Catching her father's eyes in the rearview mirror, she continued, " Why do you ask?"

" Well, for one thing, I don't see any indication that ESU owns the building," James answered, peering through the passenger's side window, " No college seal, no name indicating what hall it is. Nothing that makes it stand out as a college dorm."

"There's that," Tim piped up, " and the fact that no matter how pricey and exclusive a school is, even in New York, I don't think that most dorms have doormen." He pointed past Kim's head to the man in the dark blue double breasted suit and cap approaching the rear passenger door.

"Ms. Possible," the doorman greeted, opening the door for her with a warm smile, " You made good time for a cross country drive. I hope you had a pleasant trip."

Kim smiled, sliding out of the car and stretching, " As well as one could expect being cooped up with a couple of younger brothers," she glanced back into the back seat to find the boys sticking their tongues out at her in unison. " Thank you for getting the door for me Mr…"

" My pleasure," the doorman replied, " And actually it's Agent Watson," he indicated a small gold button on the lapel of his right breast in the shape of a stylized eagle.

Kim's eyes widened and she glanced back into the car, hoping her father hadn't heard that; the way his eyes narrowed quickly dashed that hope. * Ahhh….so much for an easy move in * She thought. " Agent?" she asked, doing her best to keep the surprise from her voice, " I thought this was a dorm for ESU?"

" So did I," James growled out, startling her. She hadn't noticed him getting out of the car, let alone coming to stand next to her on the sidewalk. " An explanation would be nice. Now, who's going to provide it?" He glanced between Kim and Agent Watson.

If the agent was at all intimidated he didn't show it, " Dr. Possible, a pleasure to meet you sir," he offered his hand cheerfully, ignoring the grudging and quick handshake he got in response, " As for the explanation, it's quite simple. Many of our Agents, when not on assignment or in the field, are either new students like your daughter or continuing their education. That being the case, Director Fury worked out an arrangement with Empire State University, in exchange for tuition breaks for our people and a building to house them in close to campus, S.H.I.E.L.D provides the university with funding for programs that would otherwise go underfunded, or perhaps get cut in their entirety; such as their neogenics lab. S.H.I.E.L.D also offers access to some of the top scientific minds like Reed Richards and Henry Pym, as guest lecturers. Think of it as a win-win situation."

Dr. Possible arched an eyebrow skeptically, " Really? If this is such a win-win, why is there no sign that this building is in anyway affiliated with the university?"

Kim cringed, judging from the look in her father's eyes he was planning on sending the agent out in a deep space probe if he didn't get an answer he liked. " Amp down dad," she smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly, " I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation." She turned her gaze to Agent Watson, " Right?"

Agent Watson offered a small smile in response, " Depends on your definition of reasonable.," He started, " The fact is that given the nature of the work S.H.I.E.L.D does, we sometimes attract, unsavory attention. The university prefers that we don't publicize our connection, in an effort to ensure the safety of all the students who choose to attend ESU."

Dr. Possible's eyes narrowed, " I see. And can you vouch for the safety of my daughter as well?" He folded his arms over his chest, waiting.

" Dear," Anne smiled soothingly as she got out of the car to stand next to him, placing a calming hand on his shoulder, " It's a building full of highly trained security personnel. Can you honestly think of anywhere safer for Kim to stay?" She squeezed his shoulder gently before turning to smile at Agent Watson.

" You're quite right, Ms. Dr. Possible," he agreed, seizing on the opening, " I'd love to continue to discuss the security of our building, Mr. Dr. Possible; however, I'm sure Ms. Possible here would like to start getting moved in to her room." With that he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew an electronic keycard. " It's on the top floor, unit 1072," he added, passing it to the young redhead, " I believe your roommate actually moved in a couple of days ago."

" Thank you Agent Watson, I've been looking forward to meeting her. ," Kim beamed before taking off for the entrance without thought to her bags.

" Well," Anne started, a wry smile playing across her lips as she turned to her husband, " She's clearly grown up since her first day of pre-school. Why don't you and the boys grab the bags and I'll see if I can't catch up with her?" She pretended to ignore the sound of dismay emanating from the backseat of the car and headed into the building herself.

James shook his head ruefully, momentarily tempted to slip back into over protective father mode and resume his grilling of the S..LD Agent regarding the building security, but decided to drop the issue. " They do grow up fast, don't they," he mused. Turning back to the car, he smiled, " Well, you heard your mother boys. Let's get started getting your sister's things out of there." He held up his hand to forestall any complaints, " Remember, the faster your sister gets moved into her room, the more time we'll have for sightseeing. Who knows, I might even be able to talk your mother into a tour of the Baxter Building while we're here." The offer was met with the sound of the car's rear doors opening and closing almost simultaneously as the boys raced for the rear hatch to begin unloading Kim's bags. Carefully hiding a grin, he turned his attention to Agent Watson, " You might want to have your superiors give Dr. Richards a heads up that he'll want to upgrade his security systems as soon as possible. I can't guarantee that fear of parental wrath will be enough to keep them from trying to get into his labs."

" Yes sir, Dr. Possible," Agent Watson replied, eying the boys uneasily, " I believe you have a point." If even half of what was in Kim Possible's file regarding her younger siblings was true, keeping them as far from the labs of the Fantastic Four was in the best interest of the city, and possibly the world. With that firmly in mind, he turned smartly on his heels and strode back to his post.

" Good to see that I can still strike fear in someone," Dr. Possible muttered under his breath before turning to help his sons with the unpacking.

There were many ways one could describe Kim Possible; however, patient was not one of them. " Stupid slow elevator," she groused, tapping her foot as she watched the floor indicator light count down as the car inched its way down to the first floor. " At least it doesn't look like anyone else is moving in today." Finally the doors parted and she all but leapt inside, spinning quickly to jab the ten button with her finger. As the doors began to close she caught a glimpse of her mother coming down the hall to the elevator bank and briefly weighed letting the door shut and heading up to her new room alone against the wrath of an irritated mother and decided it was probably in her best interest to stop the doors from closing in her mother's face. " Mom, hi!" She smiled, jamming her arm between the doors to hold them open, " I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

" I'm sure," Anne smirked, her eyes sliding from her daughter's oh-so-earnest expression, to the clearly illuminated floor button, and back knowingly. She was rewarded by Kim's shoulder's slumping as she let her arm drop from the doors. " I understand you're excited," she started as the doors closed with a soft hiss, " though I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that you'd be willing to leave your brothers alone with your bags."

Kim's eyes widened as the reality of the statement sunk in, " It's no big." She replied, trying for casual, " I mean Dad's still out there with them too and Agent Watson…" She trailed off and turned to face her mother fully, " Please tell me he's actually riding herd on the tweebs and not still arguing about S.H.I.E.L.D and security here."

Anne did her best to keep a straight face, " Oh, honey, you know how your father is…I'm sure he's moved on from just building security to trying to convince them that no one of the opposite sex should be allowed near his little girl." She reached out and patted her daughter comfortingly on the shoulder as the panic in the young red head's eyes grew. Deciding Kim had probably had enough; she smiled, " Of course I made sure he's keeping an eye on your brothers Kim." She chuckled, ignoring the glare being shot in her direction. " Speaking of your father, and the boys who are too good for his daughter," Anne began a bit hesitantly, " I know you're a grown woman now, and I'm sure you'll want to…experiment," she let out a long slow breath.

" Mom!," Kim cried, raising both hands pleadingly, " In the name of all that is good and pure, I beg you to stop. I mean, we've already had "the talk" I don't think either of us really wants to go through it again. I swear on Club Banana I won't so much as look at a boy while I'm here if you just stop now."

The elder Possible just smiled, " You and I both know that's not true Kimmie," she said, " You take after me too much for that." Taking advantage of the shocked silence, she continued, " For all I know you may have even experimented in high school. And if that's the case, I don't need to know. You're not a mother, so I'm going to believe that any experimentation done in high school was done safely and leave it at that. But as a mother, and a doctor, I just want you to remember to continue to be safe, if you decide to continue to experiment in college." She glanced at the floor indicator above the door and saw they'd almost reached the top floor., " And a part of that safety involves your roommate. I know you two didn't get a chance to talk before now like the school suggested, so you might want to come up with a signal that the two of you can use when either one of you has company over." She smirked, " Your father, bright as he is, didn't think of that right away when we were dating and that lead to some definitely awkward moments with his roommate."

Kim's eyes grew wider as her mother's words forced themselves into her brain. " But…but…daddy's roommate was…." Her mother smirked. " Oh god, mom! I didn't need that in my brain. I was planning on sleeping later." There was a soft tone as the car arrived at its destination and the doors slid mercifully open, allowing Kim to break for freedom, bolting off in what she fervently hoped was the direction of her room. * Dorm room or roof access so I can jump * Kim shuddered mentally, * either way, I'm going to call it a win *. Luck, it seemed was on her side and she came to a stop in front of unit 1072 . Suddenly nervous, she slid her card into the reader on the door, and taking a deep breath, pushed it open.

" Wow," she breathed, stepping through the doorway and into the living room. Where she'd been thinking her dorm room would be, basically a single room with a bunk bed and a couple of desks like most colleges supplied; S.H.I.E.L.D obviously felt a two bedroom apartment was more appropriate. From where she stood, she could see a small, yet full, kitchen separated from the living room by a bar, with two black metal bar stools resting against it. The living room itself contained a low dark mahogany coffee table in the center of the room, between a black leather couch and on the wall, a mounted flat screen T.V. At the far end of the room was a large window, looking out over the city. Between the kitchen and living room, she could see a hallway, which no doubt lead off to the bedrooms. Of her roommate, there was no sign. " I guess it's a good thing the school gives S.H.I.E.L.D tuition breaks," her said in awe, stepping further into the room.

" I'll say," Anne's voice came from the doorway, sounding almost as surprised as her daughter, " I guess dorms have come a long way from my days in medical school." She smiled, coming to a stop next to Kim. " Why don't we take a look around before your father and the boys get here?" Together, they started down the hallway; the first door they came to was shut with a do not disturb sign hanging from the knob. " Well, I guess this would be your roommate's room," Anne observed, " Do you think she's in? I was hoping we'd get to meet her before we have to go check in at the hotel."

Kim paused, " Only one way to find out, I guess." She raised her hand and gently knocked on the door. " Hello? Is anyone home?" She waited a moment before knocking again. After getting no response, she shrugged, " Guess not." Moving down the hall, she let out a relieved breath * Probably for the best that she's not there, I'm not sure the best way to meet someone would be by ignoring their do not disturb sign…especially after mom's little share session in the elevator* she mused, hiding a shudder by increasing her pace. The next door she came to was their shared bathroom. Peeking her head inside, she was surprised to find not only an old style claw footed iron bath tub, but also a very modern looking shower stall. By default, that left the room at the end of the hall as hers.

It was smaller than her room at home, but not by much. Tucked against the far right corner was a full sized bed with a dark blue square sitting in the center of it; across from which was a moderately sized desk and dresser. Walking over to the bed, Kim lifted the blue square to realize that it was a S.H.I.E.L.D cadet uniform with her last name emblazoned on the left side of the chest. " I'm not even going to wonder how they got my measurements," she muttered, examining the uniform and holding it against her speculatively. Unnoticed in her examination; a sheet of paper drifted off the bed and to the floor at her feet.

" Oh my," Ms. Dr. Possible breathed, leaning against the doorframe with a small, slightly sad smile, " I'm going to have to get a picture of you in your uniform at some point before we leave, you know that right?" Ignoring the exasperated eye roll she received in response, she walked over and wrapped Kim in a brief hug. " I just want you to know that for all the grief your father's given you about this, we couldn't be more proud of you." Stepping away, she slipped on the fallen sheet of paper and sat down hard on the bed. " What the….?" Bending over, she plucked the paper from the floor and studied it for a moment her eyes growing wide, " I think this is yours sweetheart."

Taking the proffered sheet, she sat down next to her mother to look it over. * Well, I guess I can check off get copy of class schedule from my to do list * She thought. Letting her eyes scan over the schedule, she saw that she'd been enrolled in what she could only assume were S.H.I.E.L.D recommended courses in addition to the general freshman curriculum. * Metahumans and the criminal justice system? Well, that should be interesting. Philosophy in the post human era? Ok…I'll power through on caffeine. Introduction to neogenics?* She felt the blood drain from her face, " I can call home for help with homework, right?"

Whatever reply Anne had in mind was interrupted by Mr. Dr. Possible's voice coming from the living room, " Anne? Kim? Your pack mules have arrived, despite the slowness of the elevator and being weighted down with the many bags of a young woman."

Mother and daughter shared an exasperated eye roll and rose from the bed. " I know you think your father's goofy and borderline embarrassing sometimes," Anne offered, linking her arm with Kim's as they headed back out towards the living room, " but believe it or not, you're going to miss him when we're gone."

Kim smirked, " Well, I guess we should see about getting me settled in here so I can test that theory." Her smirk blossomed into a full blown smile and she raised her free hand innocently, " Kidding mom, kidding."

" About what Kimmie-cub?' James asked as the two women reentered the living room

" Oh, just some mother, daughter bonding," Mrs. Dr. Possible replied, letting go of Kim's arm and walking to her husband and lightly kissing him on the cheek as she took a large box marked Kim's summer clothes, from his arms. " Let's see if we can't get Kim settled, and then we can see about going out for one last lunch as a family. What do you say boys?" There was a sudden sound of boxes hitting the floor, and looking over Mr. Dr. Possible's shoulder, she could see just the top of her son's heads above two identically high piles of boxes.

" There," came Jim's voice from behind the leftmost pile, " seems that her things settled just fine during the trip, otherwise…."

" We're pretty sure the boxes would have fallen over when we dropped them," Tim completed.

" Very funny tweebs," Kim growled, stalking towards the piles, " Here's a joke for you. If you broke anything, I get to break something."

James and Anne shared a smile. " Awww, I do believe that they're trying to make it easier for us to leave," James deadpanned. " Alright gang, let's get to it." To his amazement and great relief, there was no protest as the kids each grabbed a box and headed back down the hallway towards Kim's new room.

Once they actually got moving, the unpacking went smoothly without the sniping that usually occurred when Kim and her brothers were forced to endure each other's company for extended periods of time; a miracle their parents silently attributed to a combination of the almost non-stop harassment that had occurred during their cross country road trip, and maybe, just maybe, genuine maturity. An hour and a half later, the Drs. Possible and Kim were seated on the living room couch while Jim and Tim had pulled the barstools into the room and perched upon them as they tried to decide where to go for lunch. Just as yet another round of debate over sit down restaurant versus fast food was getting underway, there came a soft buzz from the hall, followed by the front door opening to reveal a young woman.

She was just a little taller than Kim, with dark hair cut short, the tips of which fell just over her forehead and light brown, almost hazel, eyes. She was wearing a dark blue ESU t-shirt and jeans that did nothing to hide her figure, and under each arm she carried an impressive stack of text books.

In a flash, Jim and Tim had disappeared from their seats and made their way to the door. " Those look heavy," Jim said with a charming smile as he deftly plucked the books from beneath the newcomer's left arm.

" Please allow us," Tim added with a smile of his own as he relieved her of the books under her right.

" Um, thank you, I think." She blinked as the two young men, set the books on the counter. Glancing around the room, her gaze fell on an older couple sitting on the couch with a young red head about her own age and the pieces fell into place. " Oh, you must be Kim," she said with a smile as she walked over, " I was wondering when you'd get here. I'm Maria Hill, your roommate." She extended her hand to the young woman.

" Nice to meet you," Kim replied, grasping the hand and standing up, " and you're right, I'm Kim Possible. These are my parents James and Anne." The elder Possibles nodded in greeting. " And you've already met my brothers Jim and Tim," she added with a bemused look at the boys who were leaning against the counter, trying to appear nonchalant.

" Well, " Maria started, " I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I'll just grab my books and go to my room, maybe get a head start on studying before classes begin on Monday."

"You're not interrupting anything," James answered pleasantly, " We were just trying to figure out where to go for lunch before we leave Kim here and go check in to our hotel. Why don't you join us? It'd be nice to interrogate…I mean get to know you a little." He winced theatrically as Anne reached across the couch to swat him in the arm.

" Be nice," She mock scolded. Turning her attention to Maria, she smiled apologetically, " I'm sorry, my husband has a terminal disease…he thinks he's funny. However, you're welcome to join us if you'd like. Our treat of course, since the two of you are about to embark on your careers as starving college students."

Maria glanced around the room, considering the proposition. They seemed like nice enough people, and it was definitely more than her father had done; he hadn't even taken her to O'Hare to see her off, the idea of a family lunch, even if it wasn't her family, had a certain amount appeal. " Ok," she smiled hesitantly, " I'd love to, thank you."

Kim beamed, " Great! Maybe you could suggest somewhere? We're kind of deadlocked on the issue, and you've been here a couple days now, have you found or heard about anything that might be good?"

The young brunette paused, considering, "I've mostly been going to the ESU dining hall as part of trying to get a feel for the campus, but I've heard some of the other students talking about a Mexican place not too far from here actually..I've never heard of it before, but apparently it's a pretty big chain on both coasts…something Nacho…" Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before she snapped her fingers as it came to her, " Bueno Nacho, that's it!"

Kim hoped that her smile didn't look as brittle as it suddenly felt; without looking, she could feel the pressure of her family's eyes on her to see how she'd react, and not without good reason. After Ron's trial, and then again after the funeral, the media vultures had perched themselves outside of not only every Middleton branch of Bueno Nacho, but a few of the Upperton and Lowerton branches as well in hopes of getting an interview, or at the very least a usable sound bite. She'd done her best to ignore them as her mother had suggested, thinking that they'd give up once they realized there was no story, but it didn't work. With Dementor still on the run and the rest of her rogues gallery either locked away, or hiding out, the news cycles weren't turning nearly as quickly as she'd have liked. Eventually it came down to the choice of either letting go of a place that held so many memories of Ron, or letting the tweebs loose on the media, and not even the vultures deserved that. The one high point of the whole fiasco, not that she'd admit that she considered it a high point, even to herself, was that one of the vulture's photographers had managed to catch a shot of Bonnie going into Bueno Nacho…in a Bueno Nacho uniform. Of course, when she was asked for a comment, she had plenty to say, which lead to her termination, as she was not authorized to speak to the media while on the clock. Sure, it was pure public relations and trying to distance themselves from Bonnie's rather negative views on a national hero, but somehow, Kim couldn't find it in her to care.

Realizing that they were rapidly approaching awkward silence, she shook herself from her reverie and let go the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. " That sounds great!," she answered, and magically the tension building in the room vanished. " You said it's not far from here? Why don't we walk? It's a nice day, and we can start to get to know each other. Maybe you could start by explaining how it is that you've never even heard of Bueno Nacho before? I mean they're everywhere. It's like saying you hadn't heard of Kim Possible before you found out we would be roommates."

Maria blinked. * Great, I get the roommate with delusions go grandeur who also refers to herself in the third person * She thought * Wonder if this is a psychological test of some sort.* Hesitantly, she replied, " I hadn't heard of you before then. Why, should I have?"

Miracle of miracles, Kim managed to stand on her feet and keep her jaw from hitting the floor at the revelation. * Well, I guess in a city of more than eight million people, I was bound to run into someone who hadn't heard of me sooner or later.* She mused. Before she could reply however, her brothers stepped beside Maria and each linked an arm with her.

" Well, we should get a move on," Jim started, trying his best to sound suave.

" Yes," Tim agreed, " who cares about who you have or haven't heard of? On the way over we can start to get to know you. You know, important things like where you're from…what your stance is on dating a younger man…." Together they headed for the door, not quite dragging an amused Maria with them.

" Well," she began, a smile tugging at her lips, " if I were into guys, let alone younger men, I still probably wouldn't think pursuing the younger brother or brothers of my roommate was a good idea." Before she'd finished, the pressure on her arms abruptly dropped off and judging by the vacant looks on the young men's faces, they hadn't heard much beyond the beginning. " That was fun," she grinned, " I think I broke them." Turning to her roommate, she found that Kim wasn't doing too much better than her brothers.

" S…s..so," the redhead stuttered, " You're …." She tried to force the words to come out naturally, but it just didn't seem to be in the cards. * What's wrong with you? * she berated herself * It's not like she'd be the first lesbian you've met; hell, Hope came out at the school's after grad party, and you didn't have any problems then. Get your head in the game Possible*. " Not that there's anything wrong with you …." again, the words failed her and she could feel her cheeks start to burn.

Maria quirked an eyebrow, " With me…thoroughly enjoying messing with your little brothers' heads?" She finished for Kim. " Good to know, though the awkward stammering on your part is just icing on the cake."

" So you're …." She trailed off into confusion.

" Straight as an arrow," Maria smirked, " And even if I wasn't? Come on, if dating my roommate's younger brothers would be a bad idea, then trying to date my roommate? Even worse idea." She had to fight to keep from laughing as Kim rapidly switched from having difficulty with the idea of a lesbian roommate to looking offended, " It's not that you're not pretty," Maria continued soothingly, " But I prefer blondes." Turning her attention back to Jim and Tim, she slowly waved a hand in front of each of their faces, " I'm also getting a little concerned here…they haven't moved…and I'm not sure they've blinked. They really may be broken."

" They'll be fine," Mr. Dr. Possible spoke up from his seat on the couch, causing both young women to jump as they remembered the parents in the room, " It's just puberty, that wonderful time of life when your hormones override the central nervous system. Funny thing, it seems to hit at different times for different guys, in fact my college roommate spent nearly a week and a half in a state like that after…."

" Dad!," Kim shouted, once again feeling the all too familiar blush creeping up her neck. " Now is not the time or place for that story. In fact, there will never be a time or place for that story. I'll get these two moving again." She inclined her head slightly, asking Maria to clear the doorway, and walked until she was standing just between her frozen siblings. " Tweebs," she started in a stage whisper, " If you two do not get your butts in gear right this instant, I swear, I will tell mom and dad about the time…" Before she could finish the threat, both boys startled into motion.

" You know," Tim started, heading for the door, " that elevator's pretty slow…"

" We'll take the stairs down and meet you by the car," Jim concluded. Without waiting for a response, the boys took off, darting through the door at near light speed.

Mr. and Mrs. Possible shared a look and a deep sigh as they rose from the couch and walked towards the girls, " Alright Kimmie," Anne said, " I'm sure they'll get in trouble for it sooner or later anyway, and I'd really rather know what I'll be walking into when we get back home. What did they do this time?"

Kim shrugged, " Not a clue mom. I was bluffing…I guess they have guilty consciences about something. You might want to have the Middleton police bomb squad to sweep the place when you get home."

Maria chuckled, " Nice bluff. I think we're going to get along just fine. What do you say we check this Bueno Nacho place out? Or, if you're serious about those two, at least get down there to keep an eye on them?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kim agreed, sending a silent prayer towards the heavens that no one would recognize her either on the way or actually at the restaurant. She'd never admit it to her parents, but part of the reason she'd chosen ESU was the hope that among the millions of New Yorkers she could find some measure of anonymity. She gestured for Maria to go ahead of her.

The ride back down seemed much quicker than the ride up, and was mercifully free of any embarrassing stories. After a quick stop by the car to pick up the tweebs and Mrs. Dr. Possible's purse the group made the short walk to Bueno Nacho. To Kim's eternal relief, the dreaded cloud of paparazzi never materialized, though she was far from prepared for it all the same. From the outside, it looked almost identical to every other BN she had ever visited, if stretched vertically between two other buildings; it was the interior that she was unprepared for. The vertical stretching wasn't just an appearance, but rather the dining area was actually on the second floor of the building. In place of the generic pop that provided background music in every other Bueno Nacho she'd ever been in, the sound of piano music floated down and the smattering of applause indicated they actually had a live pianist performing. Perhaps the most stunning difference was the host/hostess stand, with a young brunette whose name tag identified her as Kelly. Instead of the garish orange top and clip on tie that was the standard uniform, she was wearing a simple white blouse and black skirt. Distracted as she was by the surroundings, and not quite believing she was actually in a Bueno Nacho, Kim failed to notice the large portrait of her and Ron in mission clothes that hung on the wall behind the host/hostess stand above a small plaque that read "in loving memory of Ronald Stoppable, inventor of the Naco".

" Buenos dias senores y senoritas, and welcome to Bueno Nacho," Kelly smiled warmly, " Table for six?" Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell on Kim.

" Yes, please," Kim replied with a warm smile of her own. When the hostess didn't respond right away, she became aware of the intense gaze fixed on her and almost simultaneously, her mind finally processed the portrait. * So much for not being recognized here of all places * she groused silently * I guess it was kind of a vain hope to start with…but you'd think that in a city this large there'd be more than one redhead to come in here.* Struck by a sudden thought, she considered the portrait again; her eyes lingering on her old friend's goofy grin longingly. Her current ensemble of plain white t-shirt and blue jeans was about as far as she could get from mission clothes without her father having a stroke, and she'd been careful over the years to limit the exposure her family had to the media…it could work. " Is there a wait? I've never been here before." Ok, so it wasn't technically a lie.

Kelly shook herself slightly, " Oh, no wait." She paused, " It's just that you…you're her, aren't you? Kim Possible?" She nodded towards portrait almost reverently.

Kim let her smile dim just a tad. * Her goes nothing * She thought, mentally crossing her fingers. " Nope," she replied with a soft sigh of resignation, " I get that all the time though; it was really bad after, well you know." Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father's mouth settle into a hard frown and knew that she was more than likely in for another lecture regarding lying. Oh well, if the gambit paid off, it would be a small price to pay.

Kelly clucked her tongue sympathetically as she gathered six menus together, " I'm sorry, I'm sure you're tired of hearing it then. It's just that the resemblance is uncanny." She paused and turned to indicate an elegant spiraling staircase, " Right this way please."

To Kim's utter amazement, her father waited until they had been seated and the waiter took their order before laying into her, " Kim," he said sternly, " You know how I feel about lying. I know things were difficult for you at school after Ronald's passing, but do you really feel that lying about who you are is the right way to handle it?"

" You know Dad," she replied, bitterness coloring her words, " I'm not sure it's a lie per se if I don't know who I am any more." She sighed, " And difficult? That's understatement of the century, hands down. Sure, Bonnie lost her Queen B status and the food chain fell apart, but that just left her with more free time to focus her venom on me. But you know, no big, I've been dealing with her since Pre-K. It was the other kids and even some of the teachers that almost broke me. I never said anything, and I made the tweebs promise not to either, but it seemed that half the school couldn't go without looking at me with pity, like I was some fragile piece of china and the other half stopped just short of openly blaming me for what happened." She shook her head tightly trying to chase the memories away, then continued, " Do you know why I chose ESU out of all the colleges I was accepted to where I could still work with S.H.I.E.L. D? Because there are eight million other people here and not a one of them is an alumnus from my class. I'm not lying about who I am, I'm trying to find out who I'm going to be." She slumped back in her chair, drained.

Whatever rebuttal James had in mind was preempted by the return of the waiter bearing their order. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, everyone dug into their meals in an uncomfortable silence until Maria couldn't stand it anymore. Knowing she was more than likely walking into an emotional minefield, she asked, " Can someone please explain what's going on here? I mean, back at the dorm you seemed surprised that I hadn't heard of you, and now there's a big ass portrait of you in a restaurant you claimed you've never been to."

Once more Kim could feel her family's eyes fall on her, clearly leaving the decision to her as to how much she wanted to reveal. " Ok," She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, " We'll be living together this year at least, and working together for who knows how long; knowing my luck if I don't explain things, they'll come back to bite me in the butt at the worst possible time, so here goes." She smiled hesitantly, " You see when I was fourteen, I decided to start a website, mainly to promote my babysitting, and maybe do a few odd jobs around the neighborhood to help people out and earn some extra cash. Only I indicated that I could do anything, and my best friend Ron, the boy in the picture with me, intimated that to keep from running afoul truth in advertising laws, I had to live up to the slogan. Things would have still been fine but for a case of mistaken cyber identity…." With that, it was as though a dam had burst and she launched into stories about her adventures from her first outing through the mission against Dr. Dementor, with the occasional input from her brothers or parents, and before long the tension at the table had completely dissipated.

" Wow," Maria blinked once Kim was done, studying the wistful expression on the redhead's face, " I'm not going to say that I'm sorry about Ron," she smiled softly, " I'm sure you've gotten more than your fill of strangers saying it already. But I will say that I wish I could have met him; it sounds like he was one heck of a friend to stick with you through all of that."

" Thank you," Kim replied, blinking quickly to keep her tears from falling, " It's been a while since I've gotten to talk about him like that. It's nice to remember the good times." She paused and cocked her head thoughtfully, " So, how is it that you never heard of me anyway? Believe me, I'm not complaining, it's just that after all these years I guess I never thought I'd meet someone who hadn't."

Maria paused, considering how to put into words what she'd never told anyone else.*Well* she thought * If she be that honest, so can I*. Letting out a slow breath, she began, " Well, it's an easy answer. I grew up with my father, and he wasn't a big fan of Capes."

" Capes?" Kim asked.

" You know, superheroes," Maria replied, " capes, masks, skin tight outfits, ridiculous battles and a disregard for personal property and the workings of the criminal justice system." She frowned; she could almost hear her father's bitter voice in one of his oft repeated rants against superheroes. " My dad was an ex-cop." She shrugged, " He didn't approve of people taking the law into their own hands with zero accountability and set down pretty early that in his house, there were certain things that would not be spoken of or else." She paused, " Actually that may have been the only thing on his list now that I think about it. As I got older, we didn't really get along, but as long as I was under his roof yadda yaddda yadda, you know how it goes, I'm sure."

" What about your mom?," Jim asked

She grimaced and took a deep breath, " You know, women have been giving birth for thousands of years now, and most of the time there are no complications…most of the time." She let the breath out slowly and closed her eyes, she was not going to cry over old pains, she wasn't. " My dad wasn't there when I was born," she explained, " there was some sort of superhero battle going on downtown and he'd been called to the scene to help evacuate civilians. He wasn't there when my mother died. I've never been able to figure out who he blamed more, me or himself." Opening her eyes again, she could see the all too familiar pity she encountered anytime people learned about her mother. " Please, don't say it," she said, " I've made my peace with my less than stellar relationship with my father," Ok so it wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough, " but between that and the sheer number of superheroes that have hit the scene, can you really blame me?"

Kim smiled softly, " No, I guess I can't. Except that I'm not a superhero. I don't have any special powers, I didn't wear a mask or skintight spandex…"

" Thank god," Jim and Tim chimed in simultaneously.

" Amen," Mr. Dr. Possible agreed. Smiling at his daughter's glare, he continued, " The bare midriff was bad enough Kimmie-cub, but no daughter of mine is going to parade around in skintight spandex."

" Dad!," she cried, her cheeks burning with a slight blush; when his grin grew, she knew there was no use in trying to argue the point. " Anyway," she turned her attention back to a visibly amused Maria, " as I was saying, I'm not a superhero. As for accountability, my website was my name, it's not like I had a secret identity or anything and if I screwed up, it was on me." She shrugged, " And I worked with the police on several occasions, sure, the Middleton police weren't the most competent in the world, but I still worked with them."

" So, you're saying you're just an average teenage girl," Maria quirked an eyebrow; receiving a nod in response, she continued, " Who traveled the world at a moment's notice…" Another nod. " and fought mad scientists, mutants…and I can't believe I'm actually saying this…monkey ninjas." Getting yet another, meeker, nod, she grinned, " Yea..lack of spandex aside, I'm going to say most people would agree that would fall into the prevue of a superhero. Although I'll give you some credit for transparency and working within the law."

" She has a point sweetie," Anne stated, knowing how stubborn her daughter was and deciding to intervene before it broke out into a full-fledged argument, " and besides, you wouldn't be the first superhero not to have a secret identity or mask. For example, the Fantastic Four's identities are a matter of public record."

" That reminds, me," James mentioned, " I may have bribed the boys into not complaining about carrying all of Kim's things with a promised tour of the Baxter Building, so what do you say we get the check and get the girls back to their dorm so we can see if there's time for a tour before we check in to the hotel." Taking in the horrified looks on his wife and daughter's faces, he hastened, " It's a tour, a guided tour, in a building…it's not like they'll be out of anyone's sight, what's the worst that could possibly happen?"

" Well, I was on his side right up until he had to ask that," Maria whispered, leaning over to Kim, who nodded absently in response. " Oh well…I've lived a goo…an ok life, and at least we'll have front row seats for the end of the world."

Ignoring the looks of horror and aspersions cast on his ability to parent, Mr. Dr. Possible smiled and signaled to the waiter that they were ready for their check.

Moments they were headed back towards the dorm to say their goodbyes when a young man in a grey hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans barreled through the group, knocking Mrs. Dr. Possible into her husband and continued onward without so much as an apology or even a look back. " Well," Mr. Dr. Possible groused as he steadied his wife, " Nice to see that New York hospitality matches the stereotypes. Are you really sure this is where you want to go to school Kimmie-cub? I'm sure that Harvard law would be willing to make an exception to its late admittance policy for you.

Kim rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond when Mrs. Dr. Possible shouted, " He stole my purse! Somebody stop that guy!". A few yards ahead, the thief broke out into a run, shoving pedestrians out of his way as he went.

Kim grinned, it wasn't an alien invasion or attempted world domination, but stopping a simple purse snatching would be a good warm up. " I've got this," She said; without waiting for acknowledgement, she took off after the thief.

Maria shook her head in disbelief watching the redhead dart down the street. * Only hours in the city and already she finds trouble. This should be an interesting year.* she mused. Turning to the Drs. Possible and twins, she smiled reassuringly, " I'm going to back her up, you guys continue on to the dorm and call the police." Receiving a small nod of assent from Mrs. Dr. Possible, she turned and ran after Kim.

Seven long city blocks later, Kim caught sight of her prey ducking down an alley between two apartment buildings and she slowed to a stop at the corner of the rightmost building. Keeping low, she peered around the corner and saw that the alley was a dead end and the thief was waiting about mid-way down the alley, beneath a fire escape; far away enough not to be noticed by the casual pedestrian, but still able to monitor for signs of pursuit * Oh yea * She thought * There's no way that this is a trap.* She could almost hear Ron telling her not to do something stupid as she considered her options. Still, it _was_ just one guy; she'd dealt with worse odds before. " Note to self," she muttered, " Keep grappling gun with you at all times." She glanced up at the building she was leaning against wistfully; it would be so much easier if she could have just gotten to the roof and then rappelled down behind him. Turning her attention back to the thief, she saw his shoulders relax as he apparently decided no one was coming, and he began to root through her mother's purse.

Kim waited until she was sure he was good and distracted before straightening up and walking into the alley as quietly as she could. She stopped just out of easy reach of the robber and cleared her throat delicately, causing his head to shoot up in surprise. " You know, that bag doesn't really go with those shoes, so how about you hand it over and no one has to get hurt." Despite her attempt for levity, she tensed, ready to spring into action.

" I gotta better idea," the robber shot back, dropping the purse into a puddle of unidentifiable liquid near his feet and reaching into his waistband to retrieve a small handgun, " How about you get out of here and forget you saw me, or else."

Almost before the robber was done with his threat, Kim leapt, grabbing the fire escape above her and swinging both feet into his face with a satisfying crunch and spurt of blood.

The robber dropped the gun with a howl of pain and brought both hands up to his face, glaring at the young woman as she landed deftly on the ground between him and his weapon. " You bitch!," He snarled, "you broke my fucking nose."

Kim smirked, " Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get proper medical attention in jail. Now, are you ready to come along quietly?"

Dropping his bloodied hands from his face, the thief snarled, " You know, I was willing to let you walk away red. But no, you had to go and get cute…don't worry though, it'll be the last time anyone thinks you're cute." Reaching behind him, her retrieved a wicked looking knife from a back pocket and charged the young woman.

Kim waited until the last minute before side stepping and grabbing his outstretched arm. Using his momentum, she pivoted and slammed the thief into the wall; dislocating his shoulder with a sickening pop and causing the knife to clatter to the ground. " Strike two," Kim taunted, "Why don't you just stay down and avoid getting hurt this time?"

Unfortunately, the thief wasn't bright enough to realize when he was in over his head. Looking around for anything he could use as a weapon, he realized that he was now between the redhead and his gun and grinned, ignoring the pain involved. He reached out with his good arm and wrapped his fingers around the handle, only to find the gun and his hand suddenly pinned to the ground by a white tennis shoe. Following the shoe up he saw the owner, a dark haired young woman glaring down at him and had just enough time to wonder where he'd gone wrong before her other foot swung up into his head and knocked him out.

" Strike three," Maria said, " You're out." She turned her attention to Kim who was picking her mothers purse out of the puddle and smiled, " You've got some nice moves. I guess all those stories I got to hear about the great Kim Possible weren't exaggerating."

" No big," Kim returned the smile, " That was a pretty sweet kick." She studied her mother's stained purse distastefully, " I think mom's going to have to get a new one, but hey, where better to go purse shopping than New York City, right? And not that I'm complaining about the assist, but how did you find me?" She glanced at the crumpled, unconscious robber, " He may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but he was pretty damn fast."

" I was following you, and saw him come in here," Maria answered.

" Wow," Kim said, "Good eyes."

" No, not him," Maria indicated the robber, "Him." She nodded towards the wall that blocked off the alley, " I figured he was as good an indicator of trouble as any."

Following Maria's gaze, Kim looked at the back wall, and half-way up she found just who her roommate had followed. Clinging to the bricks, face down was a man in bright red and blue tights with black webbing design on the red and a large red spider clearly visible on his back. * The tweebs are never going to believe this one * Kim thought, staring up into the opaque lenses of the man's mask. " You know you could have stepped in any time there, and I'd have been ok with that, really."

Spider-Man considered the redhead for a moment, slightly unnerved by the near familiarity of the glare he happened to be on the receiving end of. " You don't have an older sister do you?" He blurted without thinking. He was once again very thankful for the full face mask at moments like these. " It's just that you kind of look like someone I know who has a propensity for getting into trouble, so I thought I'd see if you needed help, but you seemed to have things under control." He shifted his gaze to include the brunette who was staring at him as though he was something distasteful she'd stepped in. " Both of you actually."

Kim blinked, not sure whether to be complimented or insulted. " No, no older sister," She replied. She fished through her mother's purse until she found her cell phone, " Do you mind keeping an eye on him for a minute or two Maria? I'm going to see what streets we're between and see if the police can't send someone to pick this guy up and take our statements. "

" Not at all," Maria smiled, " I'm pretty sure he's not going to give me any trouble." She leaned against the wall to keep an eye on the thief and thought over what she'd seen. * A vigilante who actually isn't afraid to deal with the police * she marveled * Dad's head would explode.* Glancing once more towards the end of the alley, she saw that Spider-Man had disappeared. * Not that the web-head did any good being there * she thought. Still, heroes willing to work with authorities would be something to give serious thought to.

Atop the roof of a nearby apartment building, Spider-Man kept an eye on the alley and the young women as they waited for the police. * You've got to let MJ go* he admonished himself * It didn't work out, you can't keep hoping that you'll save her from some thug and she'll give you another chance.* He shook his head, trying to clear the thought away. He couldn't help shake the feeling sometimes that his relationship with Mary Jane was supposed to work out differently and whenever he spent any time trying to remember what exactly it was that had led to their break-up, he got a killer headache. * Oh well * he mused as squad cars pulled up to the mouth of the alley * No one who didn't deserve it got hurt, and who knows maybe I got some decent shots of that redhead in action…what did her friend call her? Kim Possible? I'll have to look her up…old brillo head has been hounding me to get some shots of ordinary heroes and not just costumed glory hounds…maybe this will shut him up. And hey, the extra cash can't hurt.* With that thought he fired a webline at the nearest skyscraper and swung off.


	3. Chapter 3

The Best She Can Be

Author: Roguesknight

Chapter 3: Tests and trials

Rating: T/M. Language mainly, and violence

Author's note: Sorry for the delay, a case of writer's block from hell hit me shortly after chapter 2 went up. Fortunately, Kim's taken up residence in my head again, and with some suggestions from my other muse, my lovely wife, I have an idea of where this is going. As always, dedicated to those of you who take the time to read it and keep me going.

Disclaimer: For the lawyers out there, yes, still not mine. Kim Possible and all related concepts and ideas as well as Marvel entities belong to the all-powerful mouse. Agent Stinson also not mine…I just couldn't resist

The next morning Kim slept in; waking slowly to the scent of coffee wafting through the dorm. * Well, at least I'm up before noon * She mused, stretching and glancing at her alarm clock where it sat on the corner of her desk. * Not by much, but it still counts.* It felt like forever since she'd last slept through the night without dreaming about Ron, either romantically or reliving her last mission against Dementor. The worst dreams by far being the ones where she hadn't failed and Ron and Shego had lived, even if it meant that he left with the verdant villainess. " Well, either I've finally started to move on, or I was just too tired to dream." She muttered to herself, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. As much as she'd have liked to believe she was moving on with her life, she had a sneaking suspicion it was the latter. After turning the purse snatcher over to the NYPD, she and Maria had gone down to the stationhouse to file a report, which in and of itself shouldn't have taken too long, except somehow the media had gotten wind of her involvement and had camped out in front of the building, hoping to score an interview. One of the bright spots to living in a city with an above average number of superheroes was that they didn't have to wait long before the media vultures found a fresher story to circle. Unfortunately it hadn't spared her from having to spend hours convincing her father that she would be fine and no, she wouldn't be making a habit of interfering with street crime particularly on school nights.

Finally, it had taken her mother's reminding him of his promise to take the tweebs on the Baxter Building tour and their need to check in at the hotel that had pulled Mr. Dr. Possible out of overprotective father mode and eventually, out of the building as well. " Well," Kim started, " the world still seems to be here, so either they didn't make it in time for the last tour or the Fantastic Four's security is actually up to the task of keeping the tweebs out. Either way, I guess I should probably get a start on the day." Slipping out of bed, she padded over to her closet and grabbed a light blue turtleneck and a pair of black jeans and quickly got dressed. " Here's hoping I didn't make too bad a first impression on Maria," she murmured as she opened the door, " Otherwise this is going to be one long year."

Padding out to the living room, she found the young brunette curled up on the couch, her gaze locked on the screen of the latest Y-Pad where it sat on the arm of the couch and her left foot tapping rhythmically against the floor. Oddly enough, she was already wearing her S.H.I.E.L.D uniform; Kim stifled a yawn and just wrote it off to nerves. " G'morning, Maria," she greeted, " What's left of it anyway. Sleep well?"

" How could you sleep after everything that happened?" Maria questioned, " I kept laying there in bed waiting to get summoned to the helicarrier, just so Director Fury could read us the riot act before telling us that we were being dismissed…if we were lucky enough to get that kind of personal attention…or unlucky enough…haven't quite made up my mind yet as to which it would be." She glanced up at the redhead and took note of the slightly perplexed frown gracing her features. " What?"

" We're switching you to decaf," Kim teased, walking around the bar and into the kitchen and grabbing a mug down from the cabinet above the coffee maker. " Come on, why would Director Fury dismiss us?" She filled her cup and leaned against the counter, cradling it between her hands and inhaling the heavenly aroma as she studied her roommate, " It's not like street crime is really S.H.I.E.L.D's primary concern, and we didn't even mention it to the police or try to challenge their jurisdiction or anything. With everything else out there on his radar, there's almost no chance one little mugging would get his attention." She took a long pull from her cup, wondering just how she was supposed to make it through the year with someone as tightly wound as Maria clearly was. * Well, so much for making a good first impression* she groused silently.

Maria stared, incredulous, " You haven't seen the headlines from today's Daily Bugle yet, have you?" She indicated the screen of the Y-Pad as she rose from the couch and carried it to the bar, setting it down on the counter top, with a slight push in Kim's direction.

Trying not to roll her eyes, Kim pushed off from the counter and smiled, " I don't have a subscription …yet…and genius parents with decent jobs aside, I couldn't convince them that a Y-pad would be an appropriate graduation present. So no, I haven't. But really, how bad could it be?" Setting her cup down, she picked up the tablet, running her gaze over the screen quickly. She was about to continue teasing Maria, when a photo under the headline grabbed her attention. Someone had gotten an almost perfect shot of her in mid swing from the fire escape just before her feet impacted the mugger. Her eyes widened as she took in the headline :**A POSSIBLE END TO STREET CRIME IN NEW YORK? **" Well….at least they got my good side," she winced. Taking a deep breath, she met Maria's gaze across the bar, " Sorry for being snippy Maria, I'd blame it on not being a morning person, but that's just an excuse, I spent the last four years dealing with an Alpha bitch, you'd think I'd try not to be one myself."

Maria actually smirked, " That was hardly alpha level Kim, but I appreciate the apology all the same." Accepting the Y-Pad from the redhead, she turned it around to show her the stylized eagle on the back of the tablet. " And, my dad wasn't exactly in any hurry to get me the latest …well anything really either…. I found this in my desk in my room. There's probably one in yours too. Has a copy of the S.H.I.E.L.D handbook and links up to a database of known threats, both superhuman and run of the mill as well as their current status as to if they're locked up or still at large. Fascinating stuff, I haven't really begun digging through it yet, and it seems we get free wi-fi in the building at least." She paused. " Still think I'm over reacting?"

Kim considered the question quietly for a moment before responding, " Maybe a little bit," she nodded towards the tablet, " I mean the Bugle's not exactly known for concrete reporting. How many years have they been hitting that " Spider-Man's a menace" angle? It's all sensationalism designed to sell papers." She shrugged and took another long pull from her cup. " All else fails, I'll pay the editor a visit and offer him an exclusive or something, see if I can't convince him there are better stories to follow out there than what I'm doing in New York. And if that doesn't work, there's always the puppy dog pout, I haven't met a man yet who can withstand it."

Maria stared incredulously, " Right. The way I hear it, Jameson eats puppy dogs for breakfast, but good luck with that." Picking up the Y-Pad, she walked back to the couch and resumed her seat. " I wonder who my next roommate will be when he's done with you…and I'm sure your brothers with just be devastated." She smiled.

" Only because they'll have to think of new excuses to visit and ogle you," Kim shot back with a grin of her own, feeling tension she hadn't even been aware of ebb out of her shoulders. * Maybe there's hope for this roommate thing to work out after all * she thought optimistically. " So what's your plan for the day?" She asked, setting her cup in the sink and crossing to join Maria on the couch.

" Try and get through this handbook," Maria replied, " maybe go for a jog in central park later if the weather stays nice enough. Probably at least glance at my textbooks so I'm not completely unprepared for when classes start. What about you? Besides the obvious of getting dressed sometime today." She teased, indicating the grey sweatpants and Middleton high school t-shirt Kim had slept in.

Kim stuck out her tongue in reply. " I'll probably hit the ESU bookstore in a little bit and pick up my books. I was going to do that yesterday with the 'rents if things hadn't gotten crazy. If you wouldn't mind some company, I might join you on that jog. Maybe do just a little sight-seeing, you know, get the tourist out of my system before the school year kicks in full tilt and I end up never seeing anything." She paused, " Tell you what: I'll change if you will. It's…." She stretched just enough that she could glance at the clock above their small stove, " a quarter after twelve in the afternoon. I think it's safe to say that we're in the clear. I'm sure if the director wanted to see us we'd have been called in before now."

Whatever Maria was going to reply was interrupted by a knock at the door. The young women shared a startled glance and simultaneously rose to their feet. " Could be a neighbor looking to borrow a cup of sugar or something," Kim offered hopefully as they headed to the door.

" Right," Maria cocked an eyebrow, " and we were transported to Mayberry when, exactly?" Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to reveal a slender blonde woman, maybe ten years older than them with clear blue eyes and wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D uniform almost identical to her own. The sense the of purpose in their visitor's stance, and the service weapon holstered at her hip quickly dashed any hope that it was indeed another cadet looking to make friends.

" Good afternoon cadet Hill, Cadet Possible.," the blonde smiled coolly, extending her hand to both of them in turn, " I'm Agent Sharon Carter. If you'd come with me please, Director Fury would appreciate a moment of your time." She paused, seeming to take in Kim's state of dress, " You may want to change first cadet Possible, and I'd make it quick. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting. He can be quite ….creative…with discipline when properly motivated." Her lips twitched upward slightly as the younger woman turned almost as red as her hair before disappearing back towards her bedroom to change.

" Sure," Maria whispered , narrowing her eyes at the hastily changed Kim as they followed Agent Carter to the elevator, " Nothing to worry about. There's no way that we'd be on Fury's radar. Any other predictions you'd like to make?"

Tugging at the form fitting uniform, Kim grimaced, " It could be that we're just getting a formal welcome and personal tour of the Helicarrier." If she was honest with herself, she'd admit that was more than a bit of wishful thinking and judging by the way Maria's glare sharpened, the brunette shared the opinion. " Look, whatever happens just let me take the lead on this ok?"

Maria snorted derisively, " Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think letting you take the lead is what got us into this in the first place. Let's just try keeping quiet, speaking when spoken to and not encouraging the director to get creative. Who knows, we might not get thrown of the Helicarrier without parachutes."

Kim nodded, stepping into the elevator next to Agent Carter, and making room for Maria. * Ok, so she's not quite Bonnie 2.0, but it's close.* She mused tersely. " Yea, that might work too." A short, tension filled ride later, they emerged into the bright midday sun of the rooftop helipad, where what looked like a futuristic convertible, dark blue with a white eagle emblazoned upon the hood hovered silently. * Ok, brightside * she thought * I'll get to ride in one of these at least once.*

Before either young woman could climb in to the hovercar, Agent Carter held out her hands, bringing them to a halt. " Ok ladies," she smiled, " look, yes, Nick can be scary as hell when he's mad and I'm probably actually underselling it when I say he gets creative with punishments. " She paused, casting a quick look over her shoulder at the Helicarrier in the distance, " But I've been doing this long enough to know that he doesn't hold it against you if you truly believe you did the right thing for the right reasons. One of the most important qualities a S.H.I.E.L.D operative can have is the ability to think outside of the box and adapt on the fly, and you won't develop that ability to its fullest if you focus on being a yes man or yes woman. So, try to relax and enjoy the ride." With that, she opened the pilot's door and took her seat behind the controls; waiting until the onboard computer confirmed that both cadets had strapped in before taking off across the skyline.

All things considered, it was, Kim had thought, a more relaxing way of being summoned to a headquarters than Global Justice's tubes. Taking in the view of the cityscape below, she found that she was even able for a brief period to keep her mind off of the upcoming meeting. An urgent poke in her shoulder pried her from her thoughts and she turned to Maria, " What's up?"

Glancing towards the blonde in the front seat, Maria leaned in pitching her voice lower, " I've been thinking it over… we're being tested." Off Kim's blank stare she continued, " Come on, you don't find it just a little too coincidental that the first day you arrive your mother gets mugged? There were hundreds of people on the street at that time, plenty of women with purses who weren't traveling in a large group of people and who would have made much easier targets. Then Director Fury lets us stew overnight, while conveniently someone enterprising photographer who just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get a picture of you in action sells it to the Bugle and they splash it across the front page of the morning edition? Ten bucks says it's a test to see how we react."

Kim smiled, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. " So that would make her what? Good cop? Trying to throw us off our game by insinuating that we're in trouble and then letting us know that Director Fury's tough but fair?" she nodded towards Agent Carter…and paused. On the surface it sounded ridiculous, but not nearly as out there as some of the schemes she'd foiled over the years, and in comparison to some of Drakken's in particular was brilliant. " You're on," she said, offering her hand with a small smile, "but seeing as I still haven't picked up my textbooks yet, and we're both doing the starving college student thing, how about we make it a Coke instead?"

" I prefer Cherry," Maria said grasping the offered hand quickly.

" We're here ladies," Agent Carter announced before Kim could think of a suitable retort. Startled, the young women looked up to realize that they had completely missed the approach into the landing bay. " If you'll come with me, Director Fury will be on the bridge." Without waiting for a response she got out of the hovercar and strode purposefully for the bank of elevators along the rear wall of the landing bay. As one, Kim and Maria clambered from the back seat and hurried to catch up. One only slightly less nerve-wracking elevator ride later, they exited onto the bridge; where Nick Fury sat in front of an oversized computer screen, his head in his hands clearly exasperated with the slim, blonde man in an expensive three piece suit. " Great," Agent Carter moaned, " him." Holding up her right hand she brought Kim and Maria up short. " Remember what I said about creative punishments?" She nodded towards the screen, "Watch and learn."

" Stinson," Fury all but growled, raising his head to regard the other man, " Do you even remember why we put you on the GNB assignment?"

"As I recall," the blonde replied, " It had something to do with Agent Romanova telling HR that if I didn't stop hitting on her that you wouldn't be able to find my body even if you used every resource S.H.I.E.L.D had available." He paused, " That and even you're scared of her when she's in one of her moods so I got this job."

Fury scowled, " That's beside the point Stinson. We put you on the GNB assignment because we had reliable intel that Hydra and AIM both use it to launder their assets. Those are the assets that you're supposed to be tracking down…not every "asset" that crosses your path. And your reports do not need to include pictures of said "assests". Do I make myself clear?"

" Crystal," Agent Stinson nodded sharply, " and that's what I'm doing sir. However, sometimes I need to pump a potential source for information. In fact I was in a closed door meeting just this morning with a source who's proven to be a great asset to my investigation and has definitely pointed me in the right direction. Trust me, I've almost got enough to bring GNB to its knees and when I do it's going to be legen-wait for it-" The screen cut out before he could finish.

" Dary," Agent Carter finished, indicating for Kim and Maria to follow her once more. " Legendary," She smiled. " Cadets Possible and Hill are here, per your orders sir."

"Keep it up Agent Carter, and maybe I'll decide that Stinson needs an assistant on the GNB assignment." Satisfied by the response of blood draining from her face, Fury turned to regard the two younger women. " Cadets Hill, Possible, it's good to see you both this afternoon. I trust you slept well. Any problems settling in that we should know about before school officially starts tomorrow?" He smiled warmly.

Kim and Maria shared a look and shuddered. * Ok, that has got to be the most wrong sick thing I have ever seen * Kim thought. " I slept well, thank you for asking sir. And I can't think of any problems at all, how about you Maria?" She smiled as sweetly as she could.

" Slept like the dead, sir." Maria lied, with a matching smile, " and Kim's right. I can't think of any problems either. In fact I think we're a good fit as roommates."

Fury nodded, turning slightly towards the computer. " Good, I'm glad to hear it. Now that the pleasantries are over, would one of you care to explain this?" With a flurry of keystrokes he pulled up The Daily Bugle's homepage.

" Respectfully Director Fury," Kim began, " It wasn't something that we planned…I just needed to get my mother's purse back for her and Maria backed me up." She cast a smile in the brunette's direction, " It was nice to have back up actually…" Fury's expression gave nothing away and she hurried to continue " Not that it's something that we plan on making a habit of it or anything…"

" So, do we pass?" Maria interjected, " You said we're done with the pleasantries, so let's cut to the chase. Do we pass?"

"Pardon?" Fury asked, turning his focus to Maria.

" The test," she replied, meeting his eye directly. " The mugging, the photo in the paper? I'll admit, it took me a little to put it together, but it was clearly a set up to see what we would do wasn't it?" She could feel Kim's shocked eyes on her and was dimly aware that all the background noise of the bridge had suddenly stopped as the crew turned their attention her way as well.

The super spy leaned back in his seat and rubbed his chin slowly with one hand, " Let me get this straight," he stated, " You think that I somehow knew not only when you and the Possibles would leave your dorm room but where you would go for lunch and when you would finish and leave the restaurant. Not only that, but that I would have time to arrange for a petty criminal, " Once more his fingers flew across the keyboard, this time pulling up the mugger's photo from booking on the left hand side of the screen and a criminal history on the right, " Who has been in and out of jail for what a conservative estimate would say has been most of his life, give him his target and get him in place to mug Mrs. Possible just to see how you and Cadet Possible would react to the situation. Is that it?"

" Sounds like a fairly plausible scenario to me," came a voice from behind them.

Kim turned towards the sound of the voice to find herself face to face, or rather face to the star shaped emblem on his chest, with none other than the sentinel of liberty himself, Captain America. She was pretty sure her jaw had dropped through the floor of the Helicarrier and was well on its way to leaving a crater somewhere in the streets of midtown Manhattan. Tearing her gaze away, she noted with some amusement that even Maria seemed stunned. * Guess she can't think all superheroes are that bad* Kim mused.

" Cap," Fury acknowledged, rising from his seat and striding forward to shake the super-soldier's hand, " Good to see you. Something up?"

Captain America smiled, " Nothing major. There was a minor dust up on the borders of Latveria a couple days ago that the Avengers had to handle. Seeing as that sort of international incident could mean larger trouble's brewing on the horizon, I thought I should come in and speak with Agent Carter since she is the official liaison to the Avengers so she could debrief me."

" Right," Fury smirked, " Is that what they're calling it these days, a debriefing?"

Kim couldn't be positive considering that the mask covered most of the Captain's cheeks, but she had the impression that the superhero was blushing.

" What I mean is I'm trying to help keep S.H.I.E.L.D abreast of possible hot spots around the world." He paused, realizing how that probably sounded, he powered through, " I also heard that you were meeting with a couple of new cadets, and thought I'd come meet them in person." Ignoring the still smirking super spy, he turned to Kim. " Cadet Possible, it's an honor. I've followed your career, and even in my circles, you've done quite a bit for someone your age. I shouldn't be surprised though, I served briefly with your grandmother during the War. She was one heck of a lady."

" She still is," Kim managed to stammer, shaking his hand numbly. " And the honor is mine sir."

" Tell her I said hello the next time you speak with her," he smiled sheepishly and added, " and if she happens to still make those incredible lemon squares, I can get you my address if she wouldn't mind sending a batch out."

Straightening, he turned to Maria and offered his hand," Cadet Hill, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. It's not every day you find someone willing to call shenanigans on Nick…let alone to his face. I'm impressed."

" Thank you," Maria replied softly.

" So," Captain America began, turning his attention back to Fury, " How about it? Is the lady right about this being some sort of test you arranged?"

Director Fury grimaced, " You know, if I did even half the things people assume I did it would mean that I had more power than every superhero and supervillain on the planet combined?"

" Are you trying to tell us that you don't sir?," Agent Carter queried with a slight smile.

" Funny." He deadpanned, " If everyone here is so interested in tests, I'm sure we can arrange for something. Why don't you escort the cadets here down to training room…" he paused for a moment in thought, " thirteen. That should do for testing I think. I'll be along in a few minutes to observe personally."

" Yes sir," she nodded. " You heard the man cadets. Let's get a move on." She turned sharply on her heels and headed for the double doors at the back of the room with Maria and Kim in tow.

" I can't help but notice that you didn't exactly answer the question Nick," Cap observed wryly once the cadets were out of earshot.

Fury smirked, once more taking his seat, and turning his attention to the computer, " Your point?"

Captain America sighed, " Nothing I guess. If you don't mind, I would like to observe the test as well. I can find my way to training room thirteen."

Fury nodded, " By all means. Who knows, maybe they'll show you a trick or two you don't know yet. " He flashed a brief smile, " But first. Latveria? How bad are we talking Steve?"

The star spangled avenger paused, " I'll give Sharon the full report. But, the long and short of it is that it's getting nasty out there Nick. You may want to keep an eye on it, I've got a bad feeling."

Nick sighed, " When is it not nasty out there? But I'll see if we can't insert some operatives into Latveria without drawing any undue attention from his royal tin plated pain in my ass. In the meantime, I believe we have a couple of cadets to observe. Shall we?" He motioned for Cap to go ahead as he rose from his seat and followed.

"So," Captain America began conversationally, timing his steps to allow the other man to catch up, " Hill was right, wasn't she? It was a test."

Fury chuckled, rolling his eye, " What do you think?"

Fifteen minutes later, Kim and Maria exited the women's locker room into training room thirteen, having swapped out their cadet uniforms for solid black body suits with silver side arms holstered at their waists. " I can't believe we met Captain America," Kim nearly gushed.

" I can't believe you're still saying that," Maria replied good naturedly. " Really, he's just a man, puts his spandex on one leg at a time, just like anyone else." She carefully unholstered her side arm and sighted down the barrel, trying to get a feel for the weapon. " So what kind of training do you think we're in for? Shooting gallery or something?"

Kim paused, glancing down at her still holstered weapon, " I don't know. I was hoping for something a little….I don't know…I'm not real big on guns." She hadn't worn one herself since that last mission with Global Justice and had hoped not to have to deal with them again so soon. * Easy Kim* she chided herself * Deep breath. You can't live in the past. You can do anything remember?* Shaking off the memories, she looked up to take in the room. There wasn't much to take in. The walls were blank, save for the door at the far end of the room, and a large mirrored window extending from halfway up the wall behind them to the ceiling, doubtless the control or observation room " Besides, I don't exactly see any targets."

There was a squelch of static from above and both women reflexively looked up towards the mirrored window. " Ask and ye shall receive," came Director Fury's voice, followed by a short buzz. Seconds later, five figures marched from the doorway at the end of the room and took up positions at the center. Four of the figures stood in a boxlike formation, and the fifth stood apart, ahead of the formation and centered between the two rows of two. " Welcome to training room thirteen," Fury said," Think of this training exercise as laser tag meets capture the flag." There was a soft click, and a blank white flag was lowered from the ceiling at the far end of the room. " The suits you're wearing are designed to respond to your opponents weapons similarly to if you were actually shot in combat. Depending on where you're hit, you're going to lose mobility, and getting that flag is going to be that much harder. And of course, getting shot in the center of mass….well…don't get shot."

" Sounds like a solid plan," Maria muttered," except for the part where we're outnumbered more than two to one and have no cover."

In response there was another buzz, and four square columns rose up from the floor until they reached the ceiling with a metallic clank. " You were saying?" Kim smiled shakily, a ball of ice settling in her stomach. There was something all too familiar about this set up.

"The exercise can be ended in one of two ways," Fury continued, " Either you capture their flag, or they eliminate you." He paused, " And for that added touch of realism." There came a low humming sound from all around and the room was transformed. The white walls and floor were replaced by eerily accurate images of stone blocks that wouldn't be out of place in an old castle. The columns were similarly affected, with the addition of sconces bearing flaming torches near the top. The blank flag was now a deep emerald with a yellow tentacled skull. The four blank figures in formation now wore verdant slacks and tunics with red goggled hoods. Slung across their chests were nasty looking machine guns. In unison, they raised their arms above their heads.

" Ok," Kim started, " If they break into YMCA, I'm out of here."

" Hey, it's just more of a reason to shoot them," Maria smirked.

The hum rose in pitch as the final solitary figure came into focus. Instead of a tunic and slacks, it was clad in an emerald catsuit that clung to its new noticeably feminine form, at least as much as was visible from beneath the almost floor length cape hanging from its shoulders; lacking a hood and googles, it…or rather she had raven hair that fell across half of her face and ended just below her collarbones.

Kim inhaled sharply, her nerves balanced on a knife's edge. An old castle, a female opponent with a taste for green catsuits; the pieces fell into place and she fought to keep herself from glaring up at the observation room. * Subtle Nick, real subtle.* She let the breath out slowly, the tension flowing out of her as she did *If you were hoping to throw me off my game, you're going to have to try a little harder.*

The pervasive hum suddenly cut out, and just as suddenly, the green garbed soldiers began chanting, " Hail Hydra!"

" Destroy the S.H.I.E.L.D Agents," the female figure commanded, a faint accent coloring the words, " Bring me their heads." With that she stepped back protectively towards the flag and drew a handgun from beneath her cape. The soldiers hands dropped immediately to their weapons and began firing, forcing Kim and Maria to each dive behind a column.

" I take it back!" Kim yelled, " I'm totally comfortable if they want to start singing."


	4. Chapter 4

The Best She Can Be

Author: Roguesknight

Chapter 4: Disorientation

Rating: T/M. For violence, Language, etc.

Author's note: **I feel compelled to once more remark that I'm not dead. My laptop that had a previous draft of this chapter however, is very much dead. I can't believe that it's been over 3 years since I last updated. Writer's block from hell is an understatement. Fortunately, my muses have returned and are demanding that I get back to it. I'd honestly forgotten how fun it is to create, even if I am playing in someone else's sandbox. Thank you to everyone who's encouraged me to continue, I shall try not to let you down.**

**Disclaimer: Ok…still not mine. In fact, everyone featured belongs to the mouse. Additionally, it should be obvious that this isn't the strict Marvel 616 universe. Inspiration is drawn from the movies, comics, and cartoons I've watched and/or read over the past 20 something years. We could consider it the Marvel 666 universe as the devil on my shoulder is the one feeding me plot points and laughing…unless Marvel 666 is a real thing, then, no I don't own that either.**

" Oh, it's not a test, you said. Fury won't have even notice the paper, you said," Maria taunted Kim with a small smile; her back pressed against her column as bright red spears of light flashed between them. " Any other brilliant observations you feel like sharing?"

As much as she hated to admit it, being pinned down by enemy fire was strangely comforting, like an old blanket. * Probably not the kind of observation she is looking for * Kim mused. Instead she risked a peek around the edge of her column. " Ok, how about this?" She replied, snapping back against her cover, " Only two of them are bothering to shoot between us. And I didn't see the other two…I'd say it's a fair bet that they're trying to sneak up on us from the outside." She drew her weapon and raised it in readiness. " On three?"

Maria nodded, adjusting her grip on her own weapon. " One"

"Two," Kim nodded, taking a steadying breath.

They didn't wait for "three". In unison they whirled to the outer edges of their respective columns and began firing at the two robots that had indeed been attempting to ambush them, forcing them back towards the other end of the room. A retreat that was slowed when one of Maria's shots landed against her target's right thigh, immobilizing the leg below. A quick follow up blast to the chest and the target went down, the red goggles flickering once before blacking out. " One down," she reported, pressing back against her column.

"Good going," Kim complimented, keeping her focus on her own target and dropping low to avoid the return fire. She squeezed off another shot, aiming for the robot's weapon arm. Even with the field experience she'd obtained working with Global Justice over the summer, she still wasn't comfortable with gun battles. The shot barely even grazed the robot's arm, resulting in little more than a rip appearing in HYDRA uniform, to reveal all too human seeming flesh underneath. Her breath caught in her throat and she hesitated, shock briefly overriding the fact she knew it was just a robot and leaving her exposed long enough for it to re-center its aim on her chest and fire.

Maria knew something was wrong when she saw Kim freeze up after firing. " Son of a …" she began. Taking a deep breath she dived across the space between their columns; ignoring the sudden jab in her left hip as one of the drones' shots landed, and tackled the redhead, pushing her flat just in time to avoid being prematurely taken out. Together they pressed back against the pillar. " Focus Kim." She hissed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. * Right, Fury's up there probably paying close attention to how we handle stress, I'm not screwing this up* She thought. " Look," she continued calmly, " I know you're probably a bit rusty when it comes to combat; taking down the odd purse snatcher aside, but you've got to get your head in the game. We're still outnumbered two to one and this," she indicated how the left leg of her jumpsuit had stiffened to reduce her mobility, " isn't going to help things any. Ok?"

Kim tried to ignore the burning in her cheeks as she nodded, " Right. We can still win this thing…and thanks for the save." She smiled hesitantly, wondering if Ron had ever felt as embarrassed when she told him to keep his head in the game as she currently did, or if it had just been one more thing he'd been able to shrug off in pursuit of never being normal. The thought lead to a spark of idea ; quickly bursting into flame. " Sorry, I just hadn't realized how detailed the training program would be. I mean, whoever she is, sure," she inclined her head towards the far end of the room, where the female robot remained stationed, oddly not participating in the attack, " but the others? What's the point of them looking human under there?" She shrugged. " But I can deal now. I think. And even better, I have a plan…well…ok an idea…an inkling of something that might even the odds just a bit."

" Which is?" Maria asked, taking advantage of a pause in the robots' assault to return fire on the center two and wondering what was keeping the one Kim had winged from continuing its advance.

" Here." Kim answered, pressing her own gun into Maria's left hand, " You're clearly the better shot anyway. Now we're just going to need to switch sides, and get ready for the next opening. The plan's simple. I'm the distraction."

The brunette stared at her for a moment as if she'd completely lost it. " And you'll be distracting them with what? Harsh language?" When Kim only smiled in return, she shrugged gamely, " OK…what the hell, I don't have anything better at the moment. Let's see this distraction of yours."

Inside the observation and control room, Captain American slid his gaze from the test going on below to Director Fury's seated form at the controls. " You know Nick, Possible raises a good point. Why waste the time and energy having just that extra bit of realism programed into attack drones, if you're just going to cover them in HYDRA uniforms anyway." He observed conversationally.

" Need to see just how they handle under as close to actual combat as we can get." The super spy explained. " Now I wanted them to actually be able to bleed when hit, but Pym keeps nattering on about the difference in viscosity in blood versus the oil those bots use, let alone trying to get the color just right. I tell ya, Cap, most of the time I just kind of tune him out when he starts droning on and on."

" Wait," the star spangled avenger startled, " You're telling me you let Hank Pym design those? I mean, I consider him a friend…and he's an ok guy…most of the time. But we both know his track record with robotics isn't exactly stellar. And you're putting a couple of fresh cadets in there cold?"

" What?" Fury shrugged. " I just told you that we needed to see how they handle combat conditions."

Cap closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to massage the knot of tension that had suddenly formed. " And when you say 'how they handle' you were of course referring to the robots and not Kim and Maria."

" Eh," Fury grunted, his focus on the control panels in front of him, " Two birds with one stone kind of thing." He glanced through the observation window and frowned as he took in Possible and Hill simply remaining stationary behind their shared pillar as the three base units proceeded to close in. Checking the readout from their uniform monitors, he saw their heart rates were elevated, but no more so than would be expected from a challenging workout. * Ok * he pondered * They're not freezing up; point for the cadets, but just what the hell are they waiting for?*. He briefly considered adding a timed component to the test and discarded the idea, after all, there would be plenty of future training sessions. " Anyway," he continued, turning his attention back to the super soldier, " You know how pacifistic Pym. He came to me with the idea of combining the adaptability of a synthezoid with the personality mapping programming of a life model decoy. He suggested that we could substantially reduce the risk to S.H.I.E.L.D personnel in the field while still maintaining the efficacy of top agents on a mission. I think he called it the next step in drone warfare…I'll admit, the possibilities are intriguing. And he may have started to babble about if they were combat models they couldn't be three laws compliant or something…I tuned him out and gave him a green light to get to work. So far though, the only full model is your old dance partner down there. Though, seeing as she hasn't fired a shot, I'm not exactly impressed."

Captain America sighed, less than thrilled at the explanation. * Note to self, hide Hank's copies of I, Robot and Terminator.* He groused silently. "Look, Nick, I admire Hank's desire to keep our men and women safe, but there's nothing that compares to a human ability to read a situation and improvise on the fly on a battlefield; no matter how adaptable the robot may be."

" I guess we'll see, won't we? Looks like red's about to make a move." Fury shrugged.

Back down in the testing room Maria stared at Kim as though she'd sprouted a second head that spoke fluent Kree. " That's you're plan?"

" Yep." Kim smiled, " and we're out of time, so here goes nothing." There was a miniscule pause in the fire being poured between the columns and Kim whipped herself around the corner, sprinting towards the opposite pillar. As the robots took in the changed circumstance and renewed their attack she launched herself into a handspring. As soon as her feet made contact with the pillar she pushed off once more, angling for a higher point on the pillar Maria was sheltering behind. Once more she landed and pushed off, throwing in a midair flip just for the heck of it. " Any time now Hill," She muttered, " Starting to run out of "up" here."

Crazy as Kim's distraction plan was, it seemed to miraculously be working, as the robots focused on trying to shoot her, their aim had been lured steadily higher, leaving a perfect opening. " Hey boys," She taunted, stepping out from her cover and leveling both guns at their chests, " Hail this" Before they could readjust their aim, she squeezed off two quick shots, scoring direct hits and taking them out of the fight. " Nice distraction!," she called as Kim landed nimbly and ducked under cover of the opposite column.

" Thanks," Kim smiled. " And I managed it without losing my pants. It can be done!"

Maria, blinked at the non sequitur. " Right. Good job…let's keep that streak going, oh, I don't know…how about the whole semester? Think you can manage that?"

" Well, if I can't I'll give you a sign, you know…sock on the door knob or…" Kim's eyes widened as that drone she'd failed to take out previously stepped from behind the column and leveled its gun at Maria's back. " Down, now!" she shouted.

Without hesitation Maria dropped, and playing a hunch, rolled onto her back as she hit the floor, bringing both guns to bear on the HYDA drone, and firing. " Ok," she grunted, " that's four for me. Last one is all yours Kim."

The redhead smirked, feeling some of her old confidence seeping back in, " Gee thanks, Maria. No, really. You're too kind." She risked a glance between the columns at the form of the dark haired woman positioned almost directly below the mildly disturbing flag with the tentacle skull. * There must be a villain's union that mandates they all use the same creepy handbook. I mean, after all there is a henchmen's union….* She shook her head, chasing the thoughts away. " What do you think; we've taken out all of her little helpers, maybe we can talk her into surrendering?"

Maria was fairly certain if her eyebrow climbed any higher it would succeed in its apparent mission to attain escape velocity and come right off of her head. Still, weirder things had happened. " One way to find out then, isn't there?" Deciding it wasn't worth trying to get back to her feet with her left leg still "injured", she decided to give the redhead's suggestion a test. " Hey, Ms. Green jeans!" she called out, " Your lackeys just got their asses handed to them by a couple of teenage girls. What do you say you save yourself some embarrassment and surrender?"

" Not quite what I had in mind," Kim hissed urgently, ducking back behind cover as the woman opened fire, a flash of light zipping through the space her head had occupied just seconds prior.

" I will not surrender," Madame Hydra snarled, contempt dripping from each word, " Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place. Will that happen when I rip off your heads and mail them back to your precious Director Fury?" She began to advance down the center of the room, methodically firing at Maria and Kim's positions in turn.

"Huh," Maria blinked, working herself into a seated position, her back against the wall. " I guess it is possible to piss off a bit of ambulatory circuitry. Who'd have known? Good luck taking her out Possible."

In spite of herself, Kim smiled, " I've got this one covered." Careful to stay out of the robot's line of sight, she traced out a rectangular shape in the air and tilted her head towards the flag. "Feel like giving being the distraction a shot?"

The brunette smiled and nodded in understanding before falling sideways, clear of her cover and opening up with both guns. Unsurprisingly, Madame Hydra was able to duck out of the way, leaving an opening that Kim was all too happy to take advantage of. Rushing forward, she spared a glance to her left, barely in time to avoid being shot in her unprotected back by taking a quick hop to the right . * So much for the element of surprise * she thought. Pouring on the speed, and moving in a zigzag pattern to try and throw off the villainess's aim, she finally reached the flag and leapt; her fingers brushing the bottom edge and tightening reflexively, pulling it free of the cords that had suspended it.

" And that is how it's done," she announced, waving the flag with a victorious flourish as she landed. Turning around, she saw the raven haired robot was slumped against the column it had been forced to take cover behind. "I've still got my head attached Maria," she called as she headed back towards her partner. " How about you?"

"Pretty sure it is," Maria answered, having gotten back to her feet. " Though, you'd think that once the test was over the suit would ease up on the whole leg injury thing."

Kim shrugged, " Probably just a bug in the system or something. I mean, what else is there? Everyone is down but us and we have the flag." Passing by the deactivated Madame Hydra, she stuck her tongue out dismissively, " Speaking of which, this is yours. Game over, loser." With that she tossed the fabric over the robot and kept walking.

Maria rolled her eyes, smiling warmly, " Real mature Possible." She held out Kim's side arm, butt first, " and if we're going to be returning things to their owners this is…" Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the ostensibly deactivated robot beginning to stir. "yours." She finished lamely.

As Kim's hand wrapped around the weapon, the sound of tearing fabric filled the room. " I'm not going to like what I see if I turn around right now, am I?" Maria shook her head rather emphatically no. "Didn't think so." She whirled towards the sound and took a step back; so that she was level with Maria, bringing her weapon to bear.

" You truly believe that either of you are actually competent enough to defeat me? ME?!" the villainess all but shrieked, her eyes blazing a hellish red. She dropped the ripped flag from her hands and slowly stalked forward. " All of you are beneath me. I am Hydra. I am superior. And I _**will**_twist your heads from your necks and spit down your throats."

" You just had to piss her off," Kim deadpanned.

Maria smirked, " It seemed like a good idea at the time." As one the two cadets opened fire, scoring direct hits on the robot's head and chest, with absolutely no effect. " Ok," Hill started, with only the slightest amount of quaver in her voice, " This isn't working. Plan B?" She squeezed off two more precise shots at the robot's eyes and bit back a curse as they proved just as effective as the opening barrage.

" Survive." Kim suggested, hurling her useless gun at Madame Hydra's head, only to watch as it was batted out of the air with enough force to embed it in the training room's wall. *Well, there went that idea.* She thought, gulping silently. Years of training kicked in and she tackled Maria out of the way just barely in time to avoid the robot rushing towards them. Quickly she got back to her feet, pulling her partner up with her.

" Surviving sounds like a solid Plan B." Hill agreed, " Not sure how we're going to pull that one off, but I'm definitely on board." She paused, " Thanks for the save."

" No big," Kim smiled, " I've got this one, remember? Next Boss Fight is all yours." Not giving the other woman time to object; she flew forward, aiming a kick at the back of the robot's head, and connecting solidly with her face as she turned fully to face the cadets. Madame Hydra was actually rocked back from the force of the blow and it seemed to Kim that her eyes actually got brighter as they narrowed in anger. " Well, it seems I've got your attention tin lady," She taunted, casually drawing her index finger across her neck, " I recall some vaguely lame threat about taking my head off? Let's see what you've got."

Madame Hydra hissed, actually hissed, and darted forward with snakelike speed, arms outstretched, her fingers twitching in anticipation of making the threat a reality. Only to have Kim side step, grabbing the robot's wrists and pivoting, using its own momentum to drive it into the wall.

" You know, for someone who's claiming to be superior to me in, you know, just about every way; I'm not that impressed." Kim taunted. " Maybe you should just go ahead and power back down before someone gets hurt." The robot growled low as it pushed off the wall and came for her once again, leading with a roundhouse kick aimed at Kim's head. The redhead ducked, just barely. * Like me…the person getting hurt here would be me. But at least she's not going after Maria…yet.* Determined to keep the fight focused on her, Kim stuck out her tongue defiantly. " Missed me." Another blow, and another dodge. " Strike two." Kim said, backing away, luring the incensed villainess with her. " Come on bright eyes, my grandmother has better reflexes than…." The air was driven from her lungs as the robotic woman landed a side kick against Kim's rib cage with enough force to throw her through the air, only coming to a stop once she collided with the wall.

A slow, predatory smile split Madame Hydra's lips, " You were saying something ?" she near purred as she languidly sauntered towards her prey.

Inside the observation and control room Fury worked the console in front of him just shy of frantically, muttering a string of profanities that would have made all four branches of the armed services blush simultaneously as he did so.

" I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that this isn't part of the test." Captain America observed innocently, as he shrugged his shield from his back and slid it onto his right arm in a long practiced move. " Of all the people to use for the design test and you had to pick her? You couldn't have chosen someone even slightly less of a threat? M.O.D.O.K perhaps?"

The super spy paused his train of invective just long enough to glare at the other man, " Funny. Maybe you could do something to help, Captain Obvious." He stated before returning his attention to the controls.

Cap silently raised his shield and threw himself at the observation window, shattering it and fell towards the training room floor.

Kim shook her head dazedly, pushing herself into a sitting position against the wall as she took stock of her injuries. * Ok ribs definitely bruised* She took a small breath and winced at the pain that shot through her chest * maybe broken* she amended * and I'm sure my back is nothing but one big bruise but I can still feel and wiggle my toes…so that's a plus, right? * Seeing as there was still the small matter of an out of control, homicidal robot coming for her, she decided to take whatever bright sides she could. She considered saying something smart-assed just to show that she wasn't beaten yet, when she heard the sound of shattering glass. Glancing towards the sound's source, she decided that it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever heard.

" Poor little recruit," Madame Hydra teased coming to a stop a few feet in front of Kim and looking down at her imperiously, " You thought you could make a difference in this world? You can't even handle "training". Consider this your final lesson; some things just aren't possible, even for a Possible. I doubt you can even stand right now without falling over. I think I'll go finish your friend first just so you can watch, knowing there's nothing you can do to stop me." She turned and began heading back towards Maria when a dull metallic thunk drew her attention back.

" Mind if I cut in?" Captain America asked, rising swiftly from the crouch he'd landed in between Kim and Madam Hydra and catching the robot under her chin with the edge of his shield; the force of the blow lifting her clean from the ground and into the ceiling.

Plummeting back to the floor, the robot twisted in the air to land deftly, arms and legs splayed. " You!" She howled, " Always you! Meddling in affairs that are none of your concern; no longer!" Uncontrolled rage drove the automaton forward, programmed personality blinding it to everything save for the desire to destroy the star spangled avenger. Everything, including the expertly thrown shield that severed her head from the rest of the body before continuing across the room to embed itself into the wall near Maria.

" I never did like that lady," Cap said, glaring at the broken robot as Madame Hydra's feature winked out of existence, leaving only the blank slate of the training drone. Turning around he walked over to Kim and offered her his hand. " That was quite the hit you took Ms. Possible, we should probably get you down to medical so they can check you out."

She smiled, taking the offered hand and gingerly pulling herself back to her feet, " That? That was nothing…I've taken worse." She said lightly, until another breath brought a fresh wave of pain with it. " Then again, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, right? And please, there's no need to be so formal. Friends, and people who save my life can call me Kim…or even KP." Granted, there was only one person who'd ever really called her KP, but somehow she doubted that Ron would mind. She could almost imagine him in Heaven, doing one of his rather unique victory dances over the thought that he and Captain America were in the same league.

" Kim it is then," Cap stated, leading her across the room to meet up with Maria; who had managed to pry the shield out of the wall and was holding it reverently. " And you, Ms. Hill, are quite the markswoman. With a little more training, I have no doubt that you'll be giving Hawkeye a run for his money."

Maria blushed furiously, " It's a lot lighter than I thought it would be," She said, handing the shield back to him, " I mean, I've seen the news footage of some of the Avenger's fights. I just never imagined…" She took a deep breath before she could start gushing like one of the fangirls that could be found hanging out around Stark tower. " Anyway, if you're going to call her Kim, you can call me Maria." She continued with a confident smile, " or at least until you have to call me Director Hill."

" I'll keep that in mind," He grinned, " Now if you ladies will accompany me; we'll get you both checked out at medical."

They began towards the main entrance to the training room, only to have it open ahead of their arrival as a team of white coated lab techs rushed in to collect the downed and destroyed robots, followed closely behind by Director Fury and Agent Carter.

" Cadets Hill, Possible. I'm glad to see that you're both alright," Sharon began, " I'd have been here sooner to help, but it seems somehow the doors wouldn't accept my override code. Fortunately the geek squad here was able to jury-rig a bypass on the lock." She shifted her eyes meaningfully towards Fury, " Better late than never, right?"

Nick rolled his eye and snorted derisively, " Why is it that everyone thinks everything I do or am involved with here is some sort of test or has an ulterior motive?" The sudden silence in the room spoke volumes, as even the tech squad stopped what they were doing to look at him skeptically. " Fine, fine…I'm the great and powerful Oz. Just don't go looking behind any curtains here and you'll be fine. Agent Carter, if you would please escort the cadets to medical to get checked out? Once they're done there, go ahead and take them back to their dorm. I think they've had enough excitement for one day, and they do start classes tomorrow. We should let them get some rest." He smiled grimly, " There'll be time for more training later. I'm thinking we could always schedule the sleep deprivation testing for midterms."

" Yes sir," Sharon responded, sketching a quick salute, " Don't worry girls," she said comfortingly, " The good Director is kidding about sleep deprivation testing and your midterms." The two cadets visibly relaxed at the news. " He usually saves that for finals week. Come on, lets get you checked out." 

Shoulders slumped, Maria made her way over to Agent Carter's side and Kim released Captain America's hand and was about to follow when he stopped her with a gentle hand on her right shoulder. " Sharon…err…Agent Carter, if you don't mind I'd like to speak with Kim for a quick moment." The blonde nodded her agreement and he steered Kim just far enough away that they wouldn't be easily overheard. " Ms. Possible…Kim," he started, for the first time that Kim was aware of, actually sounding unsure, " I know you're probably sick and tired of getting this from complete strangers, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about Mr. Stoppable. From what I understand, he was a friend even before he became your partner; I've been in your shoes, so if you ever need someone to talk to…about anything.." He reached into one of the pouches on his utility belt and withdrew a business card with S. Rogers and a phone number printed on it. " I usually hand these out to new Avengers recruits. Just in case," He explained, handing her the card, " That's my personal cell. Feel free to call anytime." He smiled, " One of the upsides of being a super-soldier, I don't need quite as much sleep as a normal man, so, I mean it; if you need to talk, call anytime. And you can give that to Maria too if you want."

Kim blinked back the tears that were threatening to break free. " Thanks Cap….Mr..America…Captain…Sir.." She said, getting a grip on her emotion.

Captain America smiled gently, " My pleasure Kim, and unless we're actively training together or on a mission, why don't you just call me Steve?" Chuckling softly he lead her back to Agent Carter and waited until the training room doors had closed again before turning so Fury. " So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively under the cowl.

" Alright, so Pym's program isn't quite ready for prime time," the director grunted, " Still, if we get desperate, they could be adapted as sleeper agents. Judging from the way the model went for you when you hit the floor, I don't see much of a difference from the robot and the real thing."

" That's not what I meant Nick, and you know it," Cap frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Fury rolled his eye theatrically, turning to face the super soldier directly, " Fine. They more than passed.," he admitted grudgingly, " What? You think I take a personal interest in someone I think will fail? Ha. They back each other up well, and you saw as clearly as I did that Possible was willing to put herself at risk to keep Hill safe once she was "injured". I'll make it official that they be partners for the foreseeable future. Who knows, maybe Hill will be able to keep red from blowing her top when Stoppable and Shego resurface."

The star spangled avenger's frown deepened, " When they resurface? Look Fury, I know there's the image out there that S.H.I.E.L.D's all-knowing and all powerful, but I don't think that power actually extends into the next world. I've seen the reports, and I know you have too. They died during the Dementor debacle. Unless you have evidence otherwise…."

He trailed off expectantly.

Fury grunted, " Look wing-tips, how many times has someone you know died in our line of work only to come back from the dead? Hell, if you count the X-Men alone you'll have to use your fingers and toes….maybe even get some volunteers to let you use their fingers and toes at this point." He fixed Cap with a skeptical glance, " Hell, you of all people should know that they're not dead until you see the body…maybe not even then."

" There may not have been bodies," Captain America argued, " but only because of the fires and subsequent explosions. Even then, it may have taken awhile but Global Justice was able to match the dental records for Stoppable and Shego against their databases. They're dead Fury."

The S.H.I.E.L.D Director sighed slowly, " You're right Cap, I did see the reports. Betty's a decent agent, but she's a little myopic at times. Show her an answer she wants to see and she doesn't always dig deeper." He paused, " Did you ever consider that it was a little too convenient that the only way it could be confirmed that Stoppable and Shego perished in that cluster…" Catching the disapproving glare he sighed and amended his statement, " accident…was through dental records?"

" Death is rarely convenient sir," Cap responded, carefully, " Especially in our line of work."

Fury favored him with a small smile. " Exactly. Which is why I had our top geneticists try testing the remains for confirmation. You know what they found? Not a shred of DNA. Not just that it didn't match Stoppable or Shego's genetic profiles, but that the remains were synthetic; some sort of advanced polycarbonate."

The Captain glanced briefly at the door to the training room before returning his attention to Fury. " And you didn't think it important enough to mention to anyone?"

" Oh, I knew it was important," Fury shrugged, " Thing is by the time the analysis came back, they'd already held the funeral, where even the President praised the "heroic and noble sacrifice", yadda yadda yadda. What would the point have been?"

Not for the first time, Cap found himself wondering if Fury were actually human and not just the most advanced life model decoy ever created. " Oh, I don't know," he bit out, " maybe spare Kim the heartache of believing that her best friend and partner was dead? We should tell her Nick, you know deep, deep, deep, really deep down somewhere that it's the right thing to do." He turned towards the door to the training room, intent on doing just that when Fury stepped in front of him.

" Just a second there," He said, raising his hands in an attempt at placating the other man, " Before you go rushing off half-cocked; answer me this: if you'd known that Barnes hadn't died during the war, is there anything on this planet that would have stopped you from going after him?"

" Of course not," the super soldier answered instantly.

" Exactly," Fury nodded, dropping his hands, " And if you'd dropped everything to go after him, right or not, we'd probably all be speaking German right now." He sighed, " Consider this Steve, Possible's grieved, and she's trying to move on. She moved across the entire country to do so. Hell, she starts college classes tomorrow on top of what she'll have to deal with as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent in training, do you really think that she'll be able to handle any of it if she can't keep her head in the game because she's constantly wondering where he is or what he's doing? Or why he hasn't bothered to contact her?"

Captain America's shoulder's slumped imperceptibly, " You know, I hate it when you use logic against me. I won't deny that you have a point Nick, but she deserves to know…it should be her choice what she does with her life, and she can't fairly make that decision without all the relevant facts."

" What about Stoppable's choice?," Fury countered reasonably, " Or Shego's? Or even that Drakken guy's? If they want to retire, get out of the game, shouldn't they be allowed to make that choice?"

Cap crossed his arms over his chest, regarding Fury coolly, " You seem pretty sure that they're out of the game Nick. Care to get something off your chest?"

Fury smirked, " Just more of that logic, Cap. It was what, about three months between Stoppable's trial and the explosion at Dementor's hideout?" Receiving a nod of acknowledgment he continued, " And it's been another three since the funeral. So, half a year goes by and the only time Stoppable and Shego popped up was to fake their deaths. That's what's got me thinking they're out of the game Steve. Used to be you could set a clock by how often Drakken and/or Shego would be break out of prison, threaten the world and then go back. It's not like blue boy was in the same leagues as Octavious or the Skull…he didn't exactly take the long view on achieving his goals. And Shego?" He snorted, " Look up impatient in the dictionary, and it's her picture by the definition. No. Something changed and it looks like they're done. You know what? I'm ok with that, not like the world doesn't have enough problems to keep us busy." He paused, " Still think telling red is the right thing to do?"

" I do," he answered, sighing, " But, you're right. She's got enough on her plate right now, no sense in adding more." He chose his next words carefully, meeting Fury's eye, " So they're out of the game…for now at least. God knows I can't blame them. I'm assuming you know where they are anyway"

" Not a clue," Fury stated matter of fact, " then again, I wasn't exactly looking for them either. Why?"

" Because," Cap said with another glance towards the training room's exit, " One day, she'll be ready to know the truth. I want you, personally, to start looking for them, so when that day comes she'll at least know where to find it. You want my silence? That's my price Nick, what do you say?" He held out his hand.

" Fine, fine," Fury grumbled good naturedly, taking the hand. " I'll get on it. In the meantime, seeing as your liaison is currently occupied, why don't you fill me in on what went down in Latveria?" He smirked, " Don't worry, I'm sure she'll still debrief you later." Without waiting, he proceeded to the room's entrance and through the sliding doors, leaving the sputtering superhero to catch up.

" He picks now of all times to develop a sense of humor," Cap muttered, a small smile crossing his face in spite of himself as he hurried after Fury.

The trip to the medical ward was, mercifully, a brief one. Maria only had minor bruises from being tackled but was otherwise fine. To Kim's shock, the battle with Madame Hydra had left her with only seriously bruised, but not broken, ribs and a strained back. The medic had given her strict instructions to take it easy and wrapped her ribs just as a precaution. Now in the hovercraft on their way back to the dorm, she had time to admire the scenery as the cityscape flashed by below them. " Um, hey, Maria," she bit her lower lip, " I just wanted to apologize again for freezing up back there."

" It's no big," Maria grinned, twisting around in the front seat to face the redhead, " That's how it goes, right? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I owe you for going hand to hand with the terminatrix and saving my ass. I'd say we're equal." She paused, " Though, truth be told, I wouldn't say no if you wanted to maybe give me some pointers on hand to hand? I mean, we saw just how useless our weapons were towards the end there, and I have a feeling that the longer we're with S.H.I.E.L.D the more likely it is we'll eventually encounter someone who's actually bullet proof. Might not be a bad idea to have something to fall back on other than run like hell."

"Deal." Kim smiled, " if you're willing to help me out with the whole gun thing. I mean you were totally badical with them."

Maria blinked, not quite sure what that meant, but decided to take it as a compliment. " Thanks, I think." She paused a moment, considering her next words carefully, " So…what was it that Captain America wanted to talk to you about back there? If I'm not prying too much that is."

Kim shrugged, after all, he had said she could share the information with Maria; she couldn't see a reason not to just tell the truth, " He just wanted to offer me his condolences about…you know" For what had to be easily the millionth time since the funeral, she had to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, one of the few things she found that worked to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. "Oh, and he gave me his number, said if I needed to talk I could call anytime. Same goes for you by the way."

Maria stared in stunned silence long enough that Kim was starting to wonder if she'd taken some head trauma they hadn't noticed. "Wow," she breathed finally, "Not in town two full days yet and you land the digits of a living legend. I'm impressed."

The hovercar came to an abrupt stop. "Well, we're here ladies," Agent Carter announced frostily.

Kim gulped, trading glances with Maria before looking over the edge of the hoverca; true, it did seem that they were above the dorm. Most of the buildings were difficult to tell apart from above, but the white eagle emblem on the helipad seemed like a clue. " Um…Agent Carter, not that we don't appreciate the lift, but do you think you could maybe get us just a little closer?"

The frost in the agent's tone condensed into solid ice, "Why Cadet Possible, I've seen some of the footage from your missions. This isn't anywhere near as high as you're used to jumping from…provided you land on the roof. If you miss…well it's still not quite as high." She was able to keep the act up for a few more moments, a miniscule almost non-existent part of her enjoying the looks of horror on the young women's faces before she broke down laughing and started the landing sequence for the hovercar. "Sorry girls, that was mean."

"So you're not…" Maria started, searching for a better word than jealous.

Sharon smiled warmly, "Jealous? No. I'm honestly not surprised Steve gave you his number Kim; it's just his nature. If he sees someone in pain, or who he thinks he can help in some way, he has to try. So, if either of you need to call, please call anytime; it's not like we exactly have the most normal work hours in the world." The hovercar touched down on the helipad. " And let's face it, if I wanted to play the "jealous girlfriend" I'm already a couple dozen super heroines and one or two reformed villainesses too late." She adopted a more professional tone before continuing, " Given the problems with the training program today, Director Fury will probably be busy pouring over the tech reports. It'll give you a couple days at least before he calls you back for any further training exercises, so you'll have some time to heal up and start getting used to classes in the meantime. I've been working with him long enough to know he's not going to just come out and say it, but I think you ladies impressed him today. Good job."

. "Thanks," they said in unison before looking at each other and smiling.

"Jinx," Kim exclaimed triumphantly, "You owe me a soda."

"Right," Maria snorted good naturedly, "Of course you still owe me a cherry coke for being right about Fury testing us."

" Fair enough," Kim conceded, " I'll see if I can't find one when I go get my books." She stole a glance at the clock set in the hovercar's dash. It was just before two, plenty of time, she decided to still hit up the bookstore, though maybe after a shower. While they'd changed out of the specialized uniforms for the training room back into their cadet blues, she still felt kind of gross and sweaty after the fight, and besides, the warm water would feel like heaven on her sore muscles. "Speaking of which, would either of you have any idea what time the bookstore closes on Sundays?"

"Three thirty? Maybe four," Maria answered hesitantly, " You may want to get headed over there now. You know, there's just bound to be other people who waited until the last possible minute to get their books too."

Kim narrowed her eyes, "You just want to get to the shower first." The smile she got in reply suggested that she wasn't far from the mark. "Fine, enjoy it. And later you can have another to get your precious cherry coke off, because when I come back, I'm taking the stairs and shaking the bottle the whole way," She teased. Turning her attention back to Agent Carter, she smiled sweetly, "Any chance you could save me some time and drop me off at the bookstore?"

The blonde shook her head, still smiling at the younger women's antics, " Sorry cadet Possible. I would if I could, but ESU really doesn't like S.H.I.E.L.D's presence to be obvious unless there's an actual emergency on or near campus, part of our arrangement I'm afraid." She gestured grandly to take in the hovercar, " I'm afraid getting you to the bookstore before they close wouldn't quite meet the administration's definition of an emergency." She smirked, " And you're going to have to change too…I'd hurry."

Kim's eyes widened and she vaulted the side of the hovercar before running full tilt towards the rooftop elevator access, "You don't need to fly cross country Kimmie-cub," she muttered darkly, "Let's make a family trip of it. You'll get there in plenty of time. You'll miss us once we're gone." As the elevator doors closed she was distantly aware that Agent Carter and Maria were laughing at her flight and added them to her list alongside her father. * I don't care how long it takes * she fumed * I shall have my revenge…oh yes, and it shall be sweet.*

After a quick stop back in the dorm room to change into the first clothes she could find; ,her jeans and sweatshirt she'd been wearing that morning, thankfully they didn't smell and it wasn't so warm that she'd look insane in a sweatshirt, she had eschewed the elevator for the stairs and ten floors and four city blocks later, Kim found herself in the ESU bookstore. When she first entered the building she'd felt the overwhelming awe she'd first experienced in the Middleton Public library at four years old; at that time she'd been sure that the bookshelves must have at least reached the ceiling, though there was no way that was likely. However, seeing that the bookstore's shelves did, actually almost reach the ceiling, it gave her pause, at least until she saw the length of the line of students waiting to check out. Determined to get out of there before closing time with all of the required texts for her classes, she grabbed one of the hand baskets from its position just inside the sliding doors and waded into the stacks. A half hour later she had managed to find most of the required texts for her S.H.I.E.L.D required prerequisites, and all of her general education texts, missing only the intro to neogenics textbook. *Thank every god out there that Ron left me money for school* She groused, casting a disgusted glare at the basket of books on her arm * There is no way their pricing on these things isn't some part of a villain's scheme to finance his or her bid for world domination. I mean, really, one hundred seventy-five dollars for an intro to biology book that isn't any more advanced than my high school book? What sense does that make? * She made a note to look into it in her free time, what little there was, when she spotted the holy grail of the college textbook shopper, a used copy of Intro To Neogenics, sitting on a top shelf wedged in between a couple of new economics texts, most likely hidden by someone who intended to come back for it once they'd completed the rest of their shopping…or got approved for another loan so they could afford all of their books. Unfortunately, that meant the book was out of her reach.

" Never a ladder around when you really need one" she muttered. Setting her basket of books down carefully, she considered the situation. On the one hand, the medics had told her to take it easy for the next few days; on the other was the possibility that if she took the time to locate a ladder, or flag down one of the overworked and underpaid staff to get it down for her that someone else could come along and snatch the prize away. "Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." She checking that the aisle was clear, she leapt towards the opposite bookshelf, turning herself around on impact and bouncing back towards her goal until her right hand tightened on the spine of the book. "Got ya," she whispered triumphantly, albeit prematurely, as she lost her footing on the shelf and tumbled backwards into the open air. * Just great* she had time to think as she fell * I survive a fight with a psychotic robot only to be taken out by a book. Oh well, at least I'm taking it with me.* She closed he eyes in anticipation of hitting the floor, an impact which surprisingly, never came.

"You know," came an amused male voice, "If this were some sort of cheesy romantic comedy, I'd probably have to make a joke about you falling hard for me right about now."

Opening her eyes, Kim found herself in a bridal style hold in the arms of a man maybe two or three years older than she was, with a kind face and light brown eyes. Fighting back a blush she countered, " Not that I'm not grateful for the save, but if you're implying that I'm heavy you could always put me down."

Peter smiled at the young woman in his arms. * It's the same girl from last night * He thought, years of practice being the only thing to keep his surprise off his face * Kim something or other…what are the odds?*. Deciding that feigning ignorance of her identity in this particular instance was the better part of valor he replied, "I'm not quite brave enough to go that far. Though, I would recommend any future gymnastics be attempted in the actual gym. Might go a little better for you. I'm Peter Parker, by the way."

" Kim Possible," She replied, wincing inwardly and saying a quick prayer to whatever gods might listen that the name didn't ring any bells. She'd been counting on the cross country move to help her with anonymity but after that blasted Daily Bugle article she figured her chances were pretty much shot. "And seriously, you can put me down any time now. Unless you have any other pick-up lines you'd like to try first?"

It was all he could do to keep the smile from blossoming into a full grin. * Really? I'm still holding her and she wants to give me a straight line like that? Too easy.* Peter considered, lowering her legs to the floor and keeping an arm around her shoulders. For perhaps the first time in his life since that fateful spider bite, he decided against the easy joke, instead turning his attention to the text she'd clearly felt like risking her safety for. "Intro to Neogenics, huh? It's a pretty good class; almost even worth the price of the book when it's "new". Professor Connors is a great teacher, and a nice guy in general to be honest….well most of the time. But, hey, who doesn't have a bad day every now and then? "

Kim smiled in return, stepping out from under his arm and retrieving her basket of books, depositing the intro book on top of the rest. "First bit of good news I've heard all day," she stated, taking a moment to get a better look at her savior. He had chestnut brown hair, a shade or so darker than his eyes and was a little taller than her, she would put his height at around five foot ten or so and was dressed almost professorially in khaki pants and a white button down shirt over which he wore a dark brown sweater vest. "At least I'll get my money back when I sell these back at the end of the year, right?" She asked hopefully.

This he couldn't hold back and broke down laughing; it went on for what seemed like forever before he was able to get it under control. "Sure…sure you will. If you're lucky you might even be able to afford a combo meal at Bueno Nacho or something, no guarantees though. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you're a freshman this year?"

She nodded, "I guess it's pretty obvious, huh? Are you a student here too or do you just hang around waiting to save girls in bookstores?" She wasn't getting any kind of weirdo vibes off of him, but she figured it didn't hurt to make sure, after all as her father would point out, it was New York.,

"Among other things," Peter answered. Judging by the wary expression the redhead had adopted and the barely noticeable step back she took, he realized that answer was rather lacking and he hastened to explain, "Specifically, I'm the teacher's assistant for Professor Connor's intro classes, and a do a little freelance photography on the side to try and make ends meet. I'm sure you'd be just shocked to learn that the pay for a TA isn't a fortune."

Kim could feel her cheeks reddening. * Great * she sighed silently * Of course I have to fall on the one person I'll be seeing three times a week for a semester; wonderful way to make a first impression.* "So, you're a photographer too? Anything I might have seen?" She asked

To his credit, Peter managed not to visibly cringe at the question. * Way to go Parker* He reprimanded himself * You just had to bring up the photography. Now, let's see you get out of this one without looking like some wannabe paparazzi*. "Well," he hedged rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, "Probably not. I mean, my shots occasionally get picked up by a local paper, nothing too big." He shrugged as if to say "what can you do" and hoped that she'd just drop the subject; as usual, the notorious Parker luck was against him.

"Well, what's it called?," She smiled, " Maybe I'll check it out sometime. I like to keep current on world events anyway, what's one more paper added to the list?"

He was saved, or perhaps damned, by the voice that rang out from behind him, "Peter Parker, don't you dare tell me that you got back together with Mary Plain again!"

Kim turned towards the voice to see a determined looking young woman with shoulder length hair, so blonde it was nearly white and wearing a navy blue sundress that fell a few inches short of being indecent, storming towards them, the oversized handbag Kim recognized as being part of Britnia's latest line swinging back and forth on her arm with each step. * Then again, she does have the legs for it * Kim mused * I doubt I could have pulled that off myself…of course had I tried, no one would have ever known because Dad would have put me on one of those black hole probes* Glancing at Peter she whispered, "Friend of yours?"

"In a manner of speaking," He sighed, before turning to address the blonde bombshell, "No Felicia, MJ and I are done thanks to..." He paused; there was that damn headache again. He briefly wondered if anyone else got instant headaches when thinking or talking about an ex before continuing, "We just didn't work out. This is Kim Possible; Kim, this is my friend Felicia Hardy."

"Nice to meet you," Kim offered, extending her hand. After all it wouldn't hurt to make a friend or two outside of Maria.

"Likewise," Felicia said, taking the hand, "Sorry for the outburst there. It seems someone," She inclined her head towards Peter, "has a thing for redheads. All I saw was your hair over his shoulder and thought he'd gotten back with his ex." She rolled her eyes and favored Kim with a conspiratorial smirk, "I swear, it was like a live version of Agony County with those two."

"Really," Kim found herself returning the smirk, glancing at a beet red Peter, " that bad huh? " She already liked the other woman, she hadn't expected to run into someone else willing to admit to watching Agony County so quickly.

"Worse actually," Felicia considered, tapping a manicured finger against her chin thoughtfully, " She had delusions of being a model, and maybe she was right, she got a few gigs here and there, but I never saw the appeal. Frankly, you're much more attractive than his last girlfriend."

Peter scowled, "That's enough Felicia. First of all, Kim and I just met. She's apparently one of my students, not my girlfriend. And secondly, I thought we agreed that there was no need to trash the ex."

"I'm sorry Petey," Felicia smiled sweetly, " She was just so dull. Probably the only redhead in existence to disprove that saying about red on the head wild in…"

"Felicia!," he snapped, cutting her off. "Way over the line there. Besides, aren't you the one who's saying that an evening with me is duller than watching paint dry? Not exactly a ringing endorsement that."

She grinned, unrepentant, "You're going to fault me for a little artistic license? To be fair I haven't actually spent a night watching paint dry." She turned to Kim, her eyes widening in sudden recognition. "Wait, you're Kim Possible? As in _the_ Kim Possible?"

Kim smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously, "Maybe?"

The blonde rummaged through her purse before pulling out a copy of The Daily Bugle with Kim's picture front and center. "Think I could get an autograph?" She fished a pen out of her purse and handed it and the paper to the flustered Kim. "I'd ask you to sign too Peter, but I don't see that you got photo credit for this one. Which is odd, the angles look about right for your work. What happened, ole' brillo head decide it'd be cheaper if he didn't have to credit you?"

Kim paused mid-signature and narrowed her eyes at Peter, wondering if it really was a coincidence that he'd shown up to catch her. "So, just a local paper that you happen to freelance for, huh?"

"Is that the line he fed you?" Felicia interjected, grinning devilishly, "Mr. Parker here is, god only knows how, one of the best photographers out there, at least when it comes to getting pictures of Spider-Man anyway. Why he continues to sell them to a rag like the Bugle is anyone's guess."

Peter shot a glare towards the ceiling and the powers that be, who had clearly sold him out for their own sick amusement "I didn't tell you that the Bugle occasionally picks up my work because I didn't want you to think I was some sort of crazed stalker, Kim," he explained, doing his best at damage control. "As to the lack of photo credit with the picture? Yea, I've had a run in or two with psychopaths who seem to think that just because I get Spider-Man's picture that I somehow know him or have a working relationship with him. I asked JJ to stop listing my name in an effort to cut down on the whackos looking for me…and it only took three attacks on the Bugle by some nut in a costume before he agreed."

"So, that is one of yours then?" Kim queried curiously, turning down the intensity of the glare just a little. She could sympathize with the danger of having his real name out there where supervillains could get the wrong idea; there'd been one too many close calls at Middleton high, or her home over the years because they knew just where to strike to try and catch her unprepared.

"Actually, no," He lied, "believe me, I wish it was." Noticing the twin glares he was receiving he hurried to explain, "I love her dearly, but my Aunt May has somehow gotten it into her head that I'm never going to meet anyone after my last relationship and set me up on a blind date last night. One of her bingo friends' niece or something. Anyway, I spent the night watching her get wasted and flirt with the waiter. I was betting that by the end of dinner she'd have her tongue down his throat, so believe me, hanging out in an alley or on a rooftop hoping to catch a crime in progress would have felt like a vacation compared to that."

Kim smiled sympathetically, she'd been on more than one bad date in her time, though none quite as bad as what he was describing; and that included the times they'd been interrupted by supervillain attacks. She was about to share as much when an announcement came over the bookstore's pa system informing that there was only thirty minutes left before closing and suggesting that anyone who hadn't made their purchases yet move to the line in the front of the building to check out. "Guess that's my cue," She stated, "It was nice to meet you both. Peter, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow in class." She shook his hand before offering Felicia her hand as well, "Felicia, maybe I'll see you around campus sometime."

"I wouldn't be surprised," She answered, "Even on a campus this size you'd be surprised how often you run into the same people."

"Word of advice," Peter offered before Kim could run off towards the checkout. "You might want to read the first chapter or two of your intro to Neogenics before Friday. Dr. Connors is a decent guy, but he does like to surprise his classes with a pop quiz before the first week is over. Not that you heard that from me of course." He held his finger to his lips conspiratorially and winked.

"Didn't hear what?" Kim returned with a quick smile before dashing off towards the rapidly lengthening checkout line.

Felicia watched until the redhead disappeared before turning to regard Peter curiously, "Huh, doesn't sound like the Dr. Connors I remember," She stated conversationally, "Half the time we had to remind him when there was a test coming up. It always seemed like his mind was on something other than teaching."

Peter grinned, offering his old friend his arm, "Oh, he's still absent minded. However, seeing as I'm the one he's going to push the grading off onto I figured it wouldn't hurt to make sure that at least one of the students does the required reading". Together they began towards the back exit to the bookstore, "So, how was your summer?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe half of it if I told you," she laughed, slapping his shoulder playfully, "Let's just say Mother was looking to expand the Hardy foundation globally and I tagged along. I spent a very nice couple of weeks lying out on a Greek beach with a couple of nice Greek boys. Should I go on?"

"Please don't." He answered mock seriously, earning another swat to the shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe half of it if I told you," He parroted back to her. "I mean there was my epic struggle with drying paint for title of most dull thing in existence, punctuated with the occasional god awful date."

"Actually, I can believe that," She laughed, ignoring the glare she received.

Forty-five minutes later, and nearly a thousand dollars poorer, Kim exited the elevator in her dorm and made her way to her room, kicking the bottom of the door until Maria opened it. "Sorry," she apologized, "Couldn't get to my key." She raised the overstuffed bags of books in her hands by way of explanation, "If I'd put them down, I don't honestly think I could have convinced myself to pick them back up."

"Understandable," Maria grinned, "after all, you don't have a couple of charming young men here to help you with them. You didn't happen to remember my cherry coke did you?"

Kim blinked once her mind came back from the horrible place her roommate's words had sent it, "Yea, it's in the left bag there. And I'm really wishing that I'd followed through on my threat to shake it up." She shuddered, " And if you ever suggest that my little brothers are anything but demons from the pits of hell wearing human forms again, I'll be forced to take drastic action."

"Such as?" the brunette challenged, retrieving the drink from the bag and taking a long pull from the bottle.

Kim grinned evilly, "Such as letting both of them know that you think they're charming for starters. Maybe imply that either of them might have a chance with you. I'm pretty sure the world wouldn't actually be in more danger from them vying for your affections. Pretty sure." She didn't even wait for a reaction; walking into the room and setting her books on the counter.

Maria promptly choked on the soda. "Ok, ok, you win," She surrendered once she could breathe again, "Your brothers are demons from the pit, and you clearly share their DNA. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to take another shower; for some reason I feel dirty again."

Kim glanced towards the bathroom longingly, she hadn't even had one shower yet; on the other hand, it was sort of her fault. "Fine," She conceded, "Just try to leave me some hot water for later."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Maria said as she headed for the hallway towards the bathroom, "If what I read in the section covering our building on the S.H.I.E.L.D Y-Pad is accurate, this whole place runs off of a Stark Industries Arc reactor, you could probably run the shower on nothing but hot all week non-stop and still not run out. Oh, and by the way, I popped down to the laundry room earlier, there's a coke machine in there; so I picked up a regular coke for you in case you get thirsty, it's in the fridge."

"Thanks!," Kim called after her. *This place is run on an arc reactor? Yet another reason to keep the tweebs as far away as possible.* She shuddered, an image of her dorm being shot into low Earth orbit springing unbidden into her mind. She made a note to check her room later to see if there was indeed a Y-Pad waiting in her desk as Maria had suggested earlier. In the meantime, she had been warned about a potential pop quiz at the end of the week, so she pulled out one of the chairs at the counter and took a seat before pulling the Neogenics book from the bag and cracking it open.

They passed the rest of the day in mostly companionable silence as each young woman hit the books so they'd be prepared for their classes ahead of time; breaking only to make a run to the ESU dining hall for dinner, where Kim was pleasantly surprised to find options other than mystery meat in gravy for once. When they returned, Maria decided to retire with her books to her room, and Kim finally got a hot shower in before doing the same. She quickly learned that trying to study on her bed was a bad idea as she fell into a restless sleep.


End file.
